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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY WAUGH, BAKER, SOLOBAY, ALLOWAY, ARGALL, BOSCOLA, BREWSTER, BROWNE, BRUBAKER, COSTA, DINNIMAN, EARLL, ERICKSON, FARNESE, FERLO, FONTANA, GORDNER, GREENLEAF, HUGHES, KASUNIC, KITCHEN, PILEGGI, RAFFERTY, ROBBINS, SCARNATI, SCHWANK, STACK, TARTAGLIONE, TOMLINSON, VOGEL, WARD, D. WHITE, YAW, YUDICHAK AND VULAKOVICH, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 |
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| INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 |
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| A RESOLUTION |
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1 | Designating September 27, 2012, as "First Responder Appreciation |
2 | Day" in Pennsylvania. |
3 | WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have |
4 | benefited from the courageous service of first responders across |
5 | this Commonwealth; and |
6 | WHEREAS, Our first responders, police, fire, emergency |
7 | medical service and public health personnel, work selflessly on |
8 | behalf of the people of this Commonwealth, regardless of the |
9 | risk or hazard; and |
10 | WHEREAS, First responders carry out the critical role of |
11 | protecting and ensuring public safety in emergency situations; |
12 | and |
13 | WHEREAS, The men and women who bravely serve as first |
14 | responders have found themselves on the front lines of homeland |
15 | defense in the war against terrorism; and |
16 | WHEREAS, First responders are called upon in the event of |
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1 | natural disasters, such as last year's Hurricane Irene and |
2 | Tropical Storm Lee, which prompted Federal disaster declarations |
3 | in 42 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania; and |
4 | WHEREAS, There are approximately 150,000 first responders |
5 | performing these crucial services in this Commonwealth; and |
6 | WHEREAS, Approximately 30,000 sworn police officers from |
7 | State, city and county law enforcement agencies protect lives |
8 | and property, detect and prevent crimes, uphold the law and |
9 | ensure justice; and |
10 | WHEREAS, Tens of thousands of firefighters, including |
11 | approximately 70,000 volunteers and 10,000 career firefighters, |
12 | provide fire suppression, emergency medical services, search and |
13 | rescue, hazardous materials response, terrorism response and |
14 | critical fire prevention and safety education; and |
15 | WHEREAS, Approximately 50,000 emergency service professionals |
16 | in this Commonwealth respond to and treat a variety of life- |
17 | threatening emergencies, from cardiac and respiratory arrest to |
18 | traumatic injuries; and |
19 | WHEREAS, First responders make personal sacrifices to protect |
20 | our communities, as widely witnessed in the aftermath of the |
21 | terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, eleven years ago and |
22 | the natural destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Irene and |
23 | Tropical Storm Lee, and as called for every day in cities and |
24 | towns across this Commonwealth; and |
25 | WHEREAS, Many law enforcement officers die in the line of |
26 | duty in the United States each year, including four killed in |
27 | 2011 in Pennsylvania alone; and |
28 | WHEREAS, Many firefighters are killed in the line of duty |
29 | across the United States each year and thousands more are |
30 | injured; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Many medics are injured on the job, have been |
2 | assaulted by a patient or have been exposed to infectious |
3 | diseases; and |
4 | WHEREAS, Emergency medical service personnel in the United |
5 | States have a fatality rate of more than twice the national |
6 | average for all other workers; and |
7 | WHEREAS, Thousands of first responders have made the ultimate |
8 | sacrifice; and |
9 | WHEREAS, Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, |
10 | 2001, firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency |
11 | medical service personnel were universally recognized for their |
12 | sacrifices, and we remember them especially this year on the |
13 | 11th anniversary of this national tragedy; and |
14 | WHEREAS, First responders should be honored each year as the |
15 | tragic events of that day are remembered; and |
16 | WHEREAS, These men and women, by their dedicated |
17 | professionalism, have earned our gratitude and respect; |
18 | therefore be it |
19 | RESOLVED, That the Senate designate September 27, 2012, as |
20 | "First Responder Appreciation Day" in Pennsylvania to celebrate |
21 | the contributions and sacrifices made by all of this |
22 | Commonwealth's first responders. |
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