SENATE RESOLUTION

                            8710

By Senator Deccio, Hochstatter, Parlette, Benton, Brown, Carlson, Constantine, Costa, Eide, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Gardner, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Hewitt, Honeyford, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kastama, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Long, McAuliffe, McCaslin, McDonald, Morton, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rossi, Sheahan, Sheldon, B, Sheldon, T., Shin, Snyder, Spanel, Stevens, Swecker, Thibaudeau, West, Winsley, and Zarelli

     WHEREAS, Firefighting is a most dangerous occupation; and

     WHEREAS, The men and women who fight fires take on that danger to protect us and deserve our appreciation and admiration; and

     WHEREAS, Strength, endurance, and above all, courage are basic requirements for anyone who chooses to battle fires; and

     WHEREAS, The adventure, action and adrenaline involved in firefighting tends to attract youth; and

     WHEREAS, Early Tuesday morning July 10, 2001, twenty-one U.S. Forest Service firefighters from the Naches Ranger District were sent in to extinguish a small wildfire; and

     WHEREAS, Within a two hour span the routine wildfire quickly grew from a mere several dozen acres to an estimated 2,500 acres; and

     WHEREAS, The crews were ordered to pull out, but the fire caught up, cutting off possible escape routes; and

     WHEREAS, Four young members of the twenty-one member firefighting crew lost their lives and several others were injured; and

     WHEREAS, Three of the four young firefighters who lost their lives were from Yakima and one from Ellensburg; and

     WHEREAS, These fallen firefighters who died protecting their neighbors deserve our remembrance and their families deserve our sympathies; and

     WHEREAS, Those firefighters who were injured protecting their neighbors deserve our wishes for speedy recoveries;

     NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate honor and remember the four young firefighters who lost their lives battling the wildfires in North Central Washington: Tom Craven from Ellensburg; Karen FitzPatrick from Yakima; Devin Weaver from Yakima; and Jessica Johnson from Yakima; and 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate wish the injured firefighters speedy recoveries and extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends and fellow crew members of the firefighters, who lost their lives battling the wildfires in North Central Washington. For the more than 600 firefighters from around the country who have been called in to replace the crew from the Naches Ranger District, we wish a safe and successful assignment; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of Senate immediately transmit copies of this resolution to the families and fellow crew members of the fallen U.S. Forest Service firefighters from the Naches Ranger District.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8710,

adopted by the Senate July 17, 2001.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate