    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [May 9, 2006]
    [Page 908]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Visit to a Fire Station in Sun City Center
    May 9, 2006

        The President. Jeb and I just were briefed by
    the firefighters here about the dry conditions that are creating hazards
    for the people--and Kelley, I appreciate your
    briefing. He was in charge of putting out that fire yesterday that
    consumed 450 acres. They think it was caused by a spark out of one of
    the utility lines.
        I've always been impressed by those who are willing to get out and
    fight the fires and save lives and save property. I'm surrounded by
    people who made a career out of that. And I want to thank them for their
    dedication to service. I want to thank them for the briefing about the
    threat we find ourselves in; we've got dry and windy conditions.
        The good news for the people of Florida is they've got people who
    are willing to serve and willing to put their lives at risk and willing
    to fight fires. There's one going on right now, as we speak.
    Kelley was briefing us on the equipment and
    manpower that's in place fighting the fire. This is one of these
    difficult periods for the State of Florida, in dealing with the climatic
    conditions as they are.
        Obviously, the people need to be real careful, they need to be
    careful about starting fires, they need to be careful about throwing
    used cigarettes out, and they need to be mindful these are dangerous
    conditions. And they ought to be thoughtful about how to conduct their
    lives so they don't put others in the positions where a fire could
    destroy them or their property.
        Do you want to say something, Jeb?
        Governor Jeb Bush. Well, other than the fact,
    as the President said, it's actually right that if someone throws a
    cigarette out on the Interstate, it could create--first of all, it's a
    loss of life and property and puts a lot of people at risk. And it's a
    felony in our State. So we want to make sure that no fires are started
    because of human error or negligence or malfeasance.
        The President. Anyway, I want to thank you all for joining me.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:59 p.m. at Sun City Center Fire Station
    No. 28. In his remarks, he referred to Vincent Kelley, captain,
    Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.