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“TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H6965 on Oct. 2, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, as National Firefighter Memorial Weekend approaches, I rise to pay tribute to our Nation's fallen firefighters; and I am pleased that a number of my colleagues have joined me in legislation on this and may come later in the evening to speak in favor of this bipartisan legislation that we have introduced on behalf of our fallen firefighters.
Last year, America tragically lost 442 firefighters. Each gave their lives protecting our communities from fire and other emergencies. This weekend, on October 5 and 6, we will join together as a Nation to mourn their passing and honor their sacrifices. So it is fitting that we come to this floor today to honor the memory of our fallen firefighters and say thank you to those brave folks who have served our community so well.
Mr. Speaker, firefighters truly embody the value and spirit that makes America what it is today, a great Nation. Firefighters are diverse, they represent every race and creed and culture in America, yet they are bound by a common commitment to service. Firefighters are dedicated; and when we call them, they risk their lives for each of us. They are the people our children look up to. When we ask a child the timeless question, What do you want to be when you grow up?, nowadays, more often than not, those children will say, I want to be a firefighter.
Our firefighters are truly our hometown heroes. However, all too often these heroes must give their lives in the line of duty. For the families of these brave souls, Congress created the Public Safety Officers Benefit Act. Since its inception 25 years ago, this important benefit has provided surviving families with financial assistance during their desperate time of need.
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However, a glitch in the law prevents some families from receiving the assistance that Congress had intended. If a firefighter or public safety officer has a heart attack or stroke, then they are more likely not to get the benefit. The truth is it accounts for almost half of all firefighter fatalities, yet the families of these fallen firefighters are rarely eligible for these benefits.
For example, imagine that a house or business catches on fire, a company of firefighters tragically lose two of their members fighting this fire. One loses their life as a result of a piece of debris hitting him within the building, and the other dies of a heart attack in the parking lot when they walk out of the building.
Under current law, the family of the firefighter who suffered a fatal blow to the head received the benefit, while the firefighter who walked out in the parking lot and had a heart attack, their family gets nothing. It is wrong that these families are denied this benefit when the loved one sacrifices their life while serving our community.
A constituent of mine, Mike Williams of Bunnlevel, who works in the Office of the State Fire Marshal, alerted me to this glitch in the law after Ms. Deborah Brooks, the widow of Thomas Brooks, a firefighter from Lumberton, was denied benefits because of this technicality. Mr. Brooks, a master firefighter, tragically died of a heart attack after running several calls on the evening shift. As part of his duties with the State Fire Marshal's office, Mike helps families fill out public safety officer benefits, and he had received many of these benefit rejection letters from cardiac cases from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The rejection letter in Thomas Brooks' case was one too many, and Mike wrote to me and asked that we investigate the situation. We found out that it would take legislation to do it. As a result, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who are cochairmen of the Firefighters Caucus, and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) along with many others, have introduced H.R. 5334, the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act. H.R. 5334 will correct this technicality in the law that has penalized so many of our firefighting families.
This bipartisan legislation will provide this benefit to the families of public safety officers who have died after a heart attack or a stroke while on duty, or within 24 hours after participating in a training exercise or responding to an emergency situation.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5334 is the kind of bipartisan legislation that we should be working on in this House. As of this afternoon we have 50 cosponsors, and more cosponsors on the way. I urge Members to cosponsor H.R. 5334, and I ask the House leadership to put this bill to a vote before this Congress adjourns. Our firefighters put their lives on the line where strength, heart and desire are sometimes the only thing that ensures that a piece of property or a house that is burning down can be saved. Our hometown heroes deserve our support. Let us let them know that we appreciate their bravery and heroism.
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