| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 2400 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, The year 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the |
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| 6 | 6 | | founding of the Midland Fire Department, and this milestone |
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| 7 | 7 | | provides a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to this notable |
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| 8 | 8 | | organization; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, In 1909, in response to two disastrous downtown |
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| 10 | 10 | | fires, a small group of volunteers formed the department to help |
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| 11 | 11 | | protect the lives and property of the townspeople; initially, the |
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| 12 | 12 | | firefighters used a single, small hose cart that they pulled from |
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| 13 | 13 | | place to place; nonetheless, the Midland Fire Department quickly |
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| 14 | 14 | | proved itself an essential public safety organization, and in 1919 |
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| 15 | 15 | | Luther Tidwell was appointed as its first chief; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Midland's population outgrew the service capacity |
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| 17 | 17 | | of a volunteer force in the years following World War II, and in |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1948 James D. Walker, the second fire chief of Midland, became the |
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| 19 | 19 | | city's first professional firefighter; shortly afterward, the |
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| 20 | 20 | | volunteer force became a fully paid department; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, With the passing decades, the department has taken |
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| 22 | 22 | | on new duties; in 1972, it began providing emergency medical |
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| 23 | 23 | | service to area citizens, and it also handles hazardous materials |
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| 24 | 24 | | incidents as well as responding to a wide range of rescue |
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| 25 | 25 | | situations; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Today, under the direction of chief Russ Conley, the |
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| 27 | 27 | | Midland Fire Department employs nearly 200 highly trained personnel |
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| 28 | 28 | | and staffs nine stations to serve an area of 900 square miles; as |
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| 29 | 29 | | this proud organization begins its second century of operations, it |
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| 30 | 30 | | continues to seek new ways to further improve the vital services it |
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| 31 | 31 | | provides to the residents of Midland, and its members may take |
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| 32 | 32 | | justifiable pride in carrying forth the department's tradition of |
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| 33 | 33 | | excellence; now, therefore, be it |
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| 34 | 34 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 35 | 35 | | Legislature hereby honor the Midland Fire Department for its 100 |
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| 36 | 36 | | years of service to the community and extend to all those involved |
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| 37 | 37 | | with the department sincere best wishes for continued success; and, |
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| 38 | 38 | | be it further |
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| 39 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 40 | 40 | | prepared for the department as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 41 | 41 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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| 42 | 42 | | Craddick |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 45 | 45 | | I certify that H.R. No. 2400 was adopted by the House on May |
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| 46 | 46 | | 28, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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| 47 | 47 | | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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