[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11900]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                    HONORING CHIEF EDWARD SWITALSKI

  Mr. PETERS. Madam President, today, I wish to honor the 38-year 
public service career of Comstock, MI, fire chief Edward Switalski. 
Known for his bravery and devotion to his family and community, Chief 
Switalski was killed in the line of duty on June 14, 2017, having been 
struck and killed by a motorist on Interstate 94 in Kalamazoo County, 
as he was responding to a previous car crash at that site. He is 
survived by his wife, Holly, and two daughters, Alison and Emily.
  Chief Switalski's dream of becoming a firefighter arrived early. As a 
child, he volunteered to clean equipment and perform other tasks for 
his local fire department. His career began as a part-time paramedic at 
Pleasantview Fire District in Illinois in 1982; while there, he rose to 
become battalion chief before retiring after 32 years of service and 
moving to Michigan to be closer to his daughters.
  While in Illinois, Chief Switalski won numerous awards and citations, 
including one for running into the basement of a burning building in an 
attempt to rescue one of his colleagues. The chief was also a 
compassionate volunteer who traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild the 
community in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina.
  After his relocation to Michigan, Switalski became the chief of the 
Comstock, MI, fire department in 2013. Chief Switalski quickly became 
known as a visionary leader who would often pick up open firefighting 
shifts in his small department. Active in the community, the chief was 
involved in numerous organizations and was a member of Zion Lutheran 
Church in Kalamazoo.
  Colleagues have paid numerous tributes to Chief Switalski. A former 
chief of his remarked he ``did not know anyone who enjoyed being a 
firefighter more than he did.'' The public safety chaplain of a 
neighboring fire department said that, on June 14, ``we lost a great 
man on Earth that day, but we gained one in heaven.'' The leader of a 
local ambulance service called Chief Switalski ``an extraordinary man 
who had a deep compassion for his family and the communities that he 
served. He was a man of integrity, who believed in doing the right 
thing.''
  It was entirely appropriate that United States and State of Michigan 
flags flew at half-staff on all State buildings on the day of the 
chief's funeral.
  Chief Switalski was a brave and selfless public servant who was taken 
from our world much too soon. The tremendous outpouring of support 
demonstrated at his funeral service is a reminder of the risks 
undertaken every day by our first responders and the gratitude the 
public has for their vital work.

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