Bill Text: IL SJR0056 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates the third Thursday in May of 2012 as Volunteer Emergency Responder Appreciation Day in the State of Illinois.
Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-2)
Status: (Passed) 2012-05-15 - Adopted Both Houses [SJR0056 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-SJR0056-Introduced.html
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| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Municipalities continually struggle to maintain | ||||||
| 3 | necessary funds for the compensation of full-time emergency | ||||||
| 4 | responders; as such, municipalities turn to the aid of | ||||||
| 5 | volunteers to supplement necessary services; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Volunteer emergency responders often go | ||||||
| 7 | unappreciated for all of their long hours and incomprehensible | ||||||
| 8 | skill sets; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Volunteer emergency responders endure hours of | ||||||
| 10 | training in preparation of disasters and emergencies; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Emergency responders are required to become | ||||||
| 12 | proficient in emergency medical training and numerous other | ||||||
| 13 | skills; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, These volunteer firefighters, emergency medical | ||||||
| 15 | technicians (EMTs), divers, rescue squads, and response teams | ||||||
| 16 | risk their lives daily to help the needs of their community; | ||||||
| 17 | and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, These individuals respond to emergency calls at | ||||||
| 19 | any moment, at any time of the day, often leaving their | ||||||
| 20 | families and full-time jobs on a moment's notice; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Volunteer firefighters, EMTs, divers, rescue | ||||||
| 2 | squads, and response teams risk their lives on emergency calls | ||||||
| 3 | and are compensated by either small stipends or no pay at all; | ||||||
| 4 | and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The contributions and sacrifices of volunteer | ||||||
| 6 | firefighters, EMTs, divers, rescue squads, and response teams | ||||||
| 7 | and their families often go unrecognized; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, There are over 30,000 people serving throughout | ||||||
| 9 | the State of Illinois as volunteer firefighters and EMTs; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, According the United States Fire Administration, | ||||||
| 11 | 60% of firefighter deaths in the United States in 2011 have | ||||||
| 12 | been volunteer servicers; therefore, be it
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| 13 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 14 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
| 15 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we honor these volunteer emergency | ||||||
| 16 | responders, who serve without compensation, and constantly | ||||||
| 17 | risk their lives on a daily basis to retain the safety of their | ||||||
| 18 | communities, by proclaiming the third Thursday in May of 2012 | ||||||
| 19 | as Volunteer Emergency Responder Appreciation Day in the State | ||||||
| 20 | of Illinois.
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