By Jon Hughes
FireRescue1 Web Site Manager
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The fire service’s best and brightest gathered Thursday at the 19th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington, D.C., to pay tribute to former Congressman Curt Weldon, founder of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and a longtime champion of fire and emergency services interests.
The dinner, held at the Washington Hilton by the Congressional Fire Services Institute, also saw several other awards handed out recognizing various areas of achievement, from firefighter safety to leadership in fire education.
But it was clear the evening belonged to Weldon. The former Pennsylvania congressman, who lost his bid for reelection this past November, was awarded the 2007 CFSI Legislator of the Year award at the dinner he helped start 19 years ago.
Hal Bruno, chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, began the evening with praise for Weldon, giving a broad overview of his accomplishments and his role in elevating the status of the fire service in Washington.
President’s message
Bruno first introduced FEMA director R. David Paulison, who gave a brief update on the progress achieved by the agency since he took over and enthusiastically noted the opening of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants the previous day. He also read a short message from President George W. Bush praising the continued efforts of the members of the fire service.
Paulison was followed by a video message from former President George H.W. Bush praising the accomplishments of Weldon, the fire service’s “leader of the past 20 years” on Capitol Hill.
“The fire service was never a partisan issue to Curt,” the former president said in the video. “It was a personal issue.”
Weldon then took the podium to enthusiastic applause. He spoke of his efforts over the past 20 years to elevate the cause of the fire service in Washington, recalling the climate when he first took office and funding support for the fire service was dire.
“It was a simple analysis — the sleeping giant was sleeping,” he said in describing the lack of a unified fire lobby at the time.
His realization of this fact led to the creation of the CFSC, which grew quickly to become the largest caucus at 350 members.
“The current version of the CFSC is exactly as we envisioned it 19 years ago,” he said to hearty applause, highlighting that it has been the “single most effective bipartisan group” he has ever seen.
Apparatus stunt
One of the livelier stories of the evening involved an early stunt designed to raise awareness of fire service issues among members of congress. Weldon and fellow Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) put out a call to departments across the East Coast to gather as many pieces of apparatus as they could. They ended up assembling 300 trucks in Washington’s RFK Stadium and leading a procession to Capitol Hill, where they then laid on their horns, driving a disoriented horde of representatives and staffers out of the buildings.
Following the cacophonous display, Weldon made the point to the crowd assembled outside that “none of these people can talk to each other,” a point as resonant then as it is now.
Weldon was followed by Hoyer, who saluted his friend and thanked him for his years of service supporting the nation’s first responders. He noted that they’ve had to go to “four or five people” to replace Weldon at the CFSC.
Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) took the podium with a pledge to continue to support the country’s fire service and an acknowledgement that current efforts aren’t always sufficient.
“We’re trying to get you to do more, but we’re not giving you enough to do more,” he said.
In regard to obtaining greater funding, Biden asked the following from those in attendance: “Don’t be nice to us!”
Other Awards Presented
In addition to the tribute to Weldon, several other awards were presented on Thursday night.
• The Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award, recognizing an individual who has “been proactive at the local, state or federal government level to improve fire/emergency services and life safety issues,” was presented to former IAFF executive director Garry Briese in recognition of his leadership to the fire and emergency services nationwide for the past 22 years.
• The Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Safety Leadership Award, recognizing “an organization for leadership in promoting and supporting firefighter health and safety initiatives at the local, state or national level,” was presented to the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association. Following the death of one of their members in a roadside accident, the group started a web site, ResponderSafety.com, aimed at educating first responders on best practices in roadside operations to minimize the number of injuries and death.
• The Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education, a new award recognizing “a leader whose exemplary work in fire safety education has had a lasting impact on our nation’s safety,” was presented to Jim Dalton, Director of Public Fire Protection for the National Fire Sprinkler Association and the Fire Marshal for the Montgomery County Fire Department, where he was instrumental in passing and implementing the nation’s first smoke alarm ordinance.