Sheila Jackson Lee: “I would also like to stand today to salute all of the Nation's firefighters and emergency staff across the Nation, for…”

“I would also like to stand today to salute all of the Nation's firefighters and emergency staff across the Nation, for it is through their sacrifice and effort that we are, in fact, a safer country. In 1974, Congress created the U.S. Fire Administration and its National Fire Academy in order to halt the tragic loss of firefighters and individuals in the United States. Training, research, and public education have accounted for the success of the U.S. Fire Administration's commitment to reduce the loss of life. There is no doubt that the people of America in our communities are safer as a result of the USFA. Every man, woman, and child in America benefits from its efforts, as do the Nation's 1.2 million fire servers, emergency medical servers, and emergency response personnel. Emergencies will continue to occur. How we react to emergencies depends on the readiness of those that are dispatched to respond to our most critical emergency situations. We must be prepared to handle the critical situations that inevitably will arise. The United States does have one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world.”