84R12805 KSM-D
By: Peña H.R. No. 1097
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For nearly 85 years, the Pasadena Fire Department
has protected the lives and property of the residents of Pasadena,
and its skilled and courageous members are truly deserving of
special recognition; and
WHEREAS, Founded in the summer of 1930, two years after the
incorporation of the city, the department was originally made up of
25 members under the leadership of Fire Chief Joe Fels; its first
piece of equipment, a 1929 American LaFrance pumper called "Old
Betsy," is still displayed by the department during parades and
special events; and
WHEREAS, Today, under the leadership of Fire Chief Lanny
Armstrong, the PVFD continues to be the largest
single-municipality, all-volunteer fire department in the United
States, with more than 200 active and 50 semi-active members
working out of nine stations with 40-plus vehicles; the department
serves 140,000 people living within 52 square miles and answers
approximately 170 alarms a month, responding not only to fires but
also to hazardous material accidents and rescue situations; and
WHEREAS, The PVFD is a party to mutual aid fire protection
agreements with nearby cities, and it also answers calls at
Ellington Field, the Johnson Space Center, and the University of
Houston-Clear Lake; in addition, it is a member of the Channel
Industries Mutual Aid partnership, which provides fire protection,
rescue, hazardous material handling, and emergency medical
capabilities to local refineries and petrochemical facilities; and
WHEREAS, The dedicated and highly trained volunteers of the
PVFD provide an essential service to their fellow citizens and help
to make Pasadena a safer and more secure place in which to live and
work; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the men and women of the Pasadena Fire
Department for their vital contributions to their community and
extend to them sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the department as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.