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2021 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 363
Commending Steven R. Cover.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, February 4, 2021
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 8, 2021

 

WHEREAS, Steven R. Cover, chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, has served as deputy city manager for public safety of Virginia Beach for four years; and

WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of Virginia Beach, Steven “Steve” Cover began his long career in public safety at the age of 16 as a volunteer firefighter with the Virginia Beach Fire Department in 1977; and

WHEREAS, Steve Cover was hired by the department as a career firefighter in 1980 and held positions in numerous fire stations throughout Virginia Beach; he was subsequently promoted to battalion chief of technical services in 1997, district chief in 2002, and deputy chief of operations in 2006; and

WHEREAS, in November 2007, Steve Cover became the first fire chief in the history of the Virginia Beach Fire Department to have held every lower rank in the organization; under his leadership, the department has increased staffing, opened four new fire stations, and achieved reaccreditation two times; and

WHEREAS, Steve Cover has been an active member of numerous peer organizations, including the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs section of the National Fire Protection Association; he is a past chair of the Hampton Roads Fire Chiefs Association and past president and current vice president of the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association; and

WHEREAS, outside of Virginia Beach, Steve Cover has offered his expertise to the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, serving as a representative for the East Coast regional task force and the sponsoring agency chief of Virginia Task Force 2; and

WHEREAS, Steve Cover has also served as the Virginia Beach emergency management coordinator, providing exceptional leadership during crisis situations ranging from hurricanes and snowstorms to a unique incident in 2012 when a United States Navy jet crashed into an apartment complex; and

WHEREAS, in 2016, Steve Cover was selected as deputy city manager in charge of public safety for Virginia Beach and has used his wealth of experience to enhance the city’s emergency response services; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Steven R. Cover for his service as deputy city manager for public safety of Virginia Beach; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Steven R. Cover as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Virginia Beach community.