SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2016 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 146
Commending the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 26, 2016

 

WHEREAS, the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management responded in an outstanding manner when the winter storm of late January 2016 inundated the county with tremendous amounts of snow; and

WHEREAS, the men and women of the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management were well-prepared in the days leading up to the historic storm; many had taken part in advance planning operations, additional response and support units were placed in service, and the county’s Emergency Operations Center was staffed around the clock; and

WHEREAS, additionally, the residents of Loudoun County played a valuable role in the readiness efforts of the county fire and rescue services by paying close attention to announcements and messages from the department; and

WHEREAS, throughout Loudoun County, people helped by clearing snow and ice from fire hydrants and gas vents, being cautious while shoveling snow, and staying off of county roads until they were safe for general use; and

WHEREAS, the storm’s highest snowfall total in the Commonwealth—39 inches—was measured at Philomont in Loudoun County; and

WHEREAS, the January 2016 snowstorm was a tremendous challenge for the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management; the snow began falling in the afternoon of Friday, January 22, and from then until the early recovery stages on Sunday, January 24, and Monday, January 25, the department handled more than 550 emergency calls; and

WHEREAS, the high volume of calls was almost double the amount usually received by the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management in a similar time period, and many of them were life-threatening, requiring a large response force and careful coordination; and

WHEREAS, additionally, routine calls for assistance were complicated by the weather conditions, and the members of the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management often needed more time and resources than usual to respond to those calls for help; and

WHEREAS, in extraordinary situations such as the snowstorm of January 2016, the members of the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management are at their very best; they responded in a professional, caring, and competent manner, and performed heroically; and

WHEREAS, the bravery exhibited by the members of the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management as they faced a snowstorm of historic proportions throughout their service area—Ashburn received 36 inches of snow and Leesburg received 34 inches of snow—is a testament to their training, professionalism, and unswerving dedication to the safety of the people they serve; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management hereby be commended for its outstanding response to the historic snowstorm of late January 2016; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to W. Keith Brower, Jr., Chief of the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect and admiration for the department’s unwavering commitment at all times to the safety of the people of Loudoun County.