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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Brenham Fire Department is celebrating the 150th |
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| 6 | 7 | | anniversary of its founding on May 27, 2017; and |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, In response to two devastating fires in 1866, the |
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| 8 | 9 | | Brenham townspeople formed the Brenham Hook and Ladder Company |
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| 9 | 10 | | No. 1 in 1867, which took on the responsibility not only of fighting |
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| 10 | 11 | | fires but also of suppressing lawlessness in the turbulent |
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| 11 | 12 | | Reconstruction era; in the organization's infancy, its members kept |
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| 12 | 13 | | buckets and ladders at their homes and would carry them to the scene |
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| 13 | 14 | | of a blaze, and in 1874, a hook and ladder truck was purchased to aid |
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| 14 | 15 | | in their endeavors; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, In the decade that followed, several other fire |
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| 16 | 17 | | response groups arose within the community; the Mechanics Engine |
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| 17 | 18 | | Company No. 1 was formed in 1878, the Brenham Hook and Ladder |
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| 18 | 19 | | Company No. 2 in 1882, and the Conner Hose Company in 1885; in 1911, |
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| 19 | 20 | | the organizations merged under the name Brenham Fire Company No. 1, |
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| 20 | 21 | | and that same year, the City of Brenham ordered its first motorized |
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| 21 | 22 | | fire truck; over time, the department continued to modernize to |
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| 22 | 23 | | meet the evolving needs of the day, and three of the historic |
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| 23 | 24 | | vehicles used by the city's firefighters are now on display at the |
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| 24 | 25 | | Brenham Fire Museum; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, In 1978, the city purchased land on the east side of |
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| 26 | 27 | | Brenham and erected a fire station that still serves the citizens of |
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| 27 | 28 | | Brenham and Washington County, and the organization established a |
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| 28 | 29 | | training center in 1982; today, the Brenham Fire Department is made |
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| 29 | 30 | | up of a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters under the |
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| 30 | 31 | | direction of Fire Chief Ricky Boeker; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, For a century and a half, the dedicated and |
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| 32 | 33 | | courageous firefighters of the Brenham Fire Department have devoted |
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| 33 | 34 | | themselves to protecting the lives and property of their fellow |
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| 34 | 35 | | citizens, and this notable milestone represents a fitting |
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| 35 | 36 | | opportunity to recognize their vital contributions to the |
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| 36 | 37 | | community; now, therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Brenham |
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| 39 | 40 | | Fire Department and pay tribute to the past and present members of |
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| 40 | 41 | | this venerable organization; and, be it further |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 42 | 43 | | prepared for the Brenham Fire Department as an expression of high |
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| 43 | 44 | | regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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