SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 709 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize Chief Alan B. Benson of The Woodlands Fire Department, who is retiring after more than 14 years of service to The Woodlands Township and 39 years of service in the field of fire and rescue; and WHEREAS, An expert in fire safety, Alan Benson distinguished himself for professional excellence during his 25-year career with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, which included three years of service as fire chief; he further served the community as an instructor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Oklahoma State University; and WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Chief Benson has overseen emergency management after many natural disasters and catastrophic events; he gained widespread recognition in his role as operations chief during the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 and during the tornado disaster of 1999; and WHEREAS, Chief Benson joined The Woodlands Fire Department in 2005, and he has since helped the department expand to meet the growing needs of the community; his many accomplishments include guiding the construction of several new fire stations and a state-of-the-art Emergency Training Center, and his expertise was indispensable during such disasters as Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Harvey; and WHEREAS, Under Chief Benson's leadership, the Insurance Services Office of The Woodlands Fire Department earned the highest rating, an honor shared by less than a quarter of one percentoffiredepartmentsnationwide;heisahighlyesteemed fire safety professional and a trusted leader in the community, and his presence at The Woodlands Fire Department will be greatly missed; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th Legislature, hereby commend Fire Chief Alan B. Benson on his exceptional career and on his many contributions to the communities in which he has served and extend to him best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for him as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate. Creighton ________________________________ President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 8, 2019. ________________________________ Secretary of the Senate ________________________________ Member, Texas Senate