2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 515
Commending the Swiftwater Rescue Team of the Virginia Beach Fire Department.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 27, 2025
WHEREAS, the Swiftwater Rescue Team of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, an elite unit of emergency services personnel, was mobilized on September 25, 2024, to support the Department of Emergency Management in its response to Hurricane Helene; and
WHEREAS, the Swiftwater Rescue Team of the Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD) was established in 2022 and is one of approximately 30 units of its kind in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the VBFD Swiftwater Rescue Team staged their efforts in Hillsville, enabling them to effectively and efficiently respond to situations throughout the Southwest Virginia Region; and
WHEREAS, during their deployment, the eight members of the VBFD Swiftwater Rescue Team were assigned several missions in the Carroll County, Fries, and Galax areas, rescuing two people and a dog and assisting residents as they sheltered in place to avoid the flooding and destruction of the storm; and
WHEREAS, in addition to these missions, the VBFD Swiftwater Rescue Team supported local firefighters, searched numerous homes and residences, and facilitated the removal of several trees that had made roads impassable; and
WHEREAS, through their selfless and heroic efforts, the VBFD Swiftwater Rescue Team helped to ensure the safety and security of Southwest Virginia, earning the esteem and admiration of all Virginians; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Swiftwater Rescue Team of the Virginia Beach Fire Department hereby be commended for its service in Southwest Virginia in response to Hurricane Helene; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Swiftwater Rescue Team of the Virginia Beach Fire Department as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for their bravery and good deeds.