Date: 2013-06-04
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise with a very sad duty and. as well. an appreciation to my colleagues from Texas who joined me yesterday with a 1minute request of silence. commemoration of the four fallen firefighters in Houston. Texas. First responders belong to all of us. no matter where they live. When a devastating incident occurs that causes them to lose their lives. we all feel the pain and sadness for them and the families that mourn them. We in Texas recently lost a number of firefighters in West. Texas. Now. sadly. I come today to acknowledge the loss of four firefighters in the Houston Fire Department in the city of Houston: Matthew Renaud. Robert Bebee. Robert Garner. and Anne Sullivan. Unfortunately. these wonderful people lost their lives in a fire where they were fighting to save the lives of others. The mission of firefighters is constantly with courage and commitment and compassion. and today I recount the history of the Houston firefighters and fire department. March 14. 2012. was the last time the city of Houston lost a firefighter in the line of duty when Senior Captain Thomas Dillon died. 1929 marked the last time more than two firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty. when Edgar Grant and Harry Oxford and John Little were killed when their engine was struck by a train. But on May 31. just a few days ago. 2013. a 5alarm fire. just after noon. at the location of a motel and restaurant. is now the most deadly fire in the history of the 118 years of the Houston City Fire Department. Sadly. Captain EMT Matthew Renaud of Station 51. Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee of Station 51. Firefighter EMT Robert Garner of Station 68. and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan of Station 68 died in the line of duty. All we can see as we look to the heavens is that we hope that they will rest in peace. But they were our brothers and our sisters. Anne Sullivan of Station 68 was a gifted athlete who played soccer and was a crosscountry runner. focused her lifes ambition upon graduating from high school to become a firefighter and began her quest by joining the Wharton County Junior College Fire Academy. After graduation. she became a student at the Houston Fire Department Academy. while also previously doing work in another jurisdiction. Whereas. Firefighter EMT Robert Garner of Station 68 was proud to call himself a Houston firefighter who sought out this honor after leaving the United States Air Force. where he honorably served his country and completed two tours of duty in Iraq and his fire department career at the Val Jahnke Fire Academy. Captain Matthew Renaud. who served the Houston Fire Department for 1112 years. joined the Houston Fire Department in October of 2001 and was assigned to Station 51 upon graduation from the academy and awarded the Unit Meritorious Medal for saving a female who had been trapped in an apartment. And Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee of Station 51 graduated from Dobie High School in southwest Houston in 1990 and began his fire department career at the fire academy on August 6. 2001. but served the majority of his career at Station 51. Over the last couple of days. Ive visited the command station. logistics. and the firemens union. and then went to Fire Station 51. To Fire Stations 51 and 68. we offer our deepest sympathy in understanding that your brothers and sister have been lost. But today we also pay tribute. because the members of the Texas delegation will be introducing a resolution in honor of these heroes. And were reminded of their words and the words in the Firemans Creed. that their work is to save lives. the lives of men. the lives of women. but it is Gods work. Those fallen heroes were engaged in Gods work. for they were looking for lost souls that might have been in that building. that horrific. horrible fire that has seen thousands of Houstonians go by to pay tribute. and thousands more to go by and pay tribute at Fire Stations 51 and 68 and also to acknowledge Local 341. Tomorrow. Houston will grieve together and. as well. I want them to know that the Members of the United States Congress grieve with them as we introduce this resolution.