HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 95-4640, by Representatives Veloria, Cody, Mason and Tokuda

      WHEREAS, Fire fighters are invaluable assets to the health and safety of all our communities, supplying us with twenty-four-hour emergency responses not only to fires, but also to various natural disasters, car accidents, assaults, drug overdoses, and other crises; and

      WHEREAS, King County Fire District 20 serves communities in the South Seattle area, including Skyway, Lakeridge, and Bryn Mawr; and

      WHEREAS, Donald S. Sorenson retired as Fire Chief of King County Fire District 20 on September 1, 1994; and

      WHEREAS, Donald S. Sorenson has devoted 33 years of faithful service as Fire Chief since he first took the oath of office on July 9, 1961; and

      WHEREAS, King County Fire District 20 began as a volunteer fire district, and currently has 34 volunteer fire fighters and six full-time fire fighters; and

      WHEREAS, Under Donald S. Sorenson's leadership, King County Fire District 20 secured a new fire station, moving from a two-office, two-bay facility to a three-office, three-bay facility; and

      WHEREAS, The new station also houses four resident fire fighters who have other jobs, but who volunteer their evenings as fire fighters; and

      WHEREAS, During his tenure as Fire Chief, Donald S. Sorenson doubled the fire district's full-time staff from three to six people; and

      WHEREAS, Before retiring, Chief Sorenson initiated a project, which is currently underway, to build a training facility and administration building with a drill ground, drill tower, and administrative offices; and

      WHEREAS, Without this facility, District 20 fire fighters have had to train in streets and empty parking lots; and

      WHEREAS, As Fire Chief, Donald S. Sorenson also purchased the fire district's first cardiac defibrillator, an apparatus which dramatically increases the survival rate for victims of cardiac arrests requiring resuscitation in the field; and

      WHEREAS, A poem called "The Last Alarm" captures the spirit of fire fighting by saying, "The greatest gift a man can give is to lay his life upon the line so that someone else might live;" and

      WHEREAS, Donald S. Sorenson has devoted over three decades of his life to providing South Seattle communities with that precious gift;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state House of Representatives honor and commend Donald S. Sorenson for his dedication, compassion, hard work, and leadership as Fire Chief of King County Fire District 20; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the Washington state House of Representatives immediately transmit copies of this resolution to Donald S. Sorenson and his wife, Maureen Sorenson; to current King County Fire District 20 Fire Chief Mark Fitzgerald; to Seattle Mayor Norm Rice; and to King County Executive Gary Locke.

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

         Resolution 4640 adopted by the House of Representatives

                    Rules Committee on April 22, 1995.

                     ________________________________

                      Timothy A. Martin, Chief Clerk