Bill Text: VA SJR229 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending W. Keith Brower, Jr.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2018-03-08 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ229ER) [SJR229 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-SJR229-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, W. Keith Brower, Jr., a respected first responder who serves as chief of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System, will retire in 2018 following a distinguished career; and
WHEREAS, a Loudoun County native, Keith Brower began his 44-year public safety career in 1973 as a volunteer and was later hired as a career firefighter and emergency medical technician in Fairfax County in 1978; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, Keith Brower was hired by Loudoun County as a fire training officer; he later served as chief fire marshal for the county before being appointed chief in 2010; and
WHEREAS, as fire chief, Keith Brower oversaw the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System's 2014 transition from 17 separate organizations into one of the largest combined fire and rescue systems in the nation; he now oversees more than 600 career employees and 800 operational and administrative volunteers; and
WHEREAS, a knowledgeable and dedicated leader, Keith Brower is responsible for all aspects of operational procedure for the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System and oversees a budget of $83 million; and
WHEREAS, among other programs, Keith Brower has led fire prevention and safety initiatives in Loudoun County, including assisting in the development and implementation of the Statewide Fire Prevention Code; in 2014, he collaborated with the Rotary Club of Ashburn and author Cindy Chambers to create a children's book about fire safety; and
WHEREAS, Keith Brower has also spearheaded efforts to ensure that career fire department employees receive proper benefits and assistance and has fought to change the Code of Virginia to afford mental health services to volunteers who suffer trauma in the line of duty; and
WHEREAS, in February 2018, Keith Brower was presented with the Governor's Fire Service Award for Career Fire Chief of the Year at the Virginia Fire Rescue Conference in Virginia Beach; and
WHEREAS, Keith Brower's exemplary devotion to the safety of the citizens of Loudoun County has won him the abiding respect, admiration, and affection of the people he has so ably served; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend W. Keith Brower, Jr., on the occasion of his retirement.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to W. Keith Brower, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his long and meritorious service to the residents of Loudoun County.
