HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2001-4671, by Representatives Clements, Skinner, Mulliken, G. Chandler, Ahern, Alexander, Anderson, Armstrong, Ballard, Ballasiotes, Barlean, Benson, Berkey, Boldt, Buck, Bush, Cairnes, Campbell, Carrell, Casada, B. Chandler,  Chopp, Cody, Conway, Cooper, Cox, Crouse, Darneille, DeBolt, Delvin, Dickerson, Doumit, Dunn, Dunshee, Edmonds, Edwards, Eickmeyer, Ericksen, Esser, Fisher, Fromhold, Gombosky, Grant, Haigh, Hankins, Hatfield, Hunt, Hurst, Jackley, Jarrett, Kagi, Keiser, Kenney, Kessler, Kirby, Lambert, Lantz, Linville, Lisk, Lovick, Marine, Mastin, McDermott, McIntire, McMorris, Mielke, Miloscia, Mitchell, Morell, Morris, Murray, O'Brien, Ogden, Pearson, Pennington, Pflug, Poulsen, Quall, Reardon, Roach, Rockefeller, Romero, Ruderman, Santos, Schindler, D. Schmidt, Schoesler, Schual‑Berke, Sehlin, Simpson, H. Sommers, Sump, Talcott, Tokuda, Van Luven, Veloria, Wood and Woods

       WHEREAS, It is the policy of the Washington State House of Representatives to recognize personal acts of heroism and sacrifice made in the service of the people of this state; and

       WHEREAS, The men and women who fight fires routinely and courageously put themselves in harm's way to protect persons and property, and they deserve our utmost admiration and appreciation; and

       WHEREAS, On Tuesday, July 10, 2001, United States Forest Service fire fighters from the Naches Ranger District were sent in to extinguish a small wildfire 30 miles north of Winthrop, Okanogan County, along the Chewuch River; and

       WHEREAS, The combination of summer heat and dry forest conditions caused the wildfire to precipitously intensify and explode; and

       WHEREAS, The fire fighters bravely attempted to evacuate, but 14 members of the 21-person crew and two civilians were trapped by flames; and

       WHEREAS, Despite doing all they could do to protect themselves, four fire fighters lost their lives and four other fire fighters and two civilians were injured; and

       WHEREAS, Three of the fire fighters who perished and the most seriously injured fire fighter to survive were from Yakima, and the fourth fire fighter to perish was from Ellensburg; and

       WHEREAS, The fire fighters who died or were injured in the line of duty deserve our recognition, and their families, friends, and coworkers deserve our heartfelt sympathies; and

       WHEREAS, Those fire fighters who were injured deserve our wishes for full and speedy recoveries;

       NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor the four fire fighters, Tom Craven, 30, of Ellensburg; Karen FitzPatrick, 18, of Yakima; Jessica Johnson, 19, of Yakima; and Devin Weaver, 21, of Yakima, who lost their lives battling the "Thirty-Mile Fire" blaze in the Chewuch River Canyon, and extend its deepest sympathies to their families, friends, and fellow crew members; and

       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor the four fire fighters, including Jason Emhoff, 21, of Yakima, who were injured battling the "Thirty-Mile Fire" blaze in the Chewuch River Canyon, extend its deepest sympathies to their families, friends, and fellow crew members, and wish them full and speedy recoveries from their injuries; and

       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives recognize the two civilians who were injured during the "Thirty-Mile Fire" blaze in the Chewuch River Canyon, extend its deepest sympathies to their families and friends, and wish them full and speedy recoveries from their injuries; and

       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives immediately transmit copies of this resolution to the families and fellow crew members of the fallen United States Forest Service fire fighters from the Naches Ranger District.

              I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

              Resolution 4671 adopted by the House of Representatives

                                  July, 21, 2001.

________________________________                      _____________________________

Timothy A. Martin, Co-Chief Clerk                   Cynthia Zehnder, Co-Chief Clerk