First Response Coalition celebrates inaugural 'National First Responder Appreciation Day' on Capitol Hill

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[September 26, 2007]  WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress, public safety representatives and national supporting organizations joined the First Response Coalition on the initial "National First Responder Appreciation Day" to thank the country's first responders for their contributions, sacrifices and dedication to public service. In a Capitol Hill event, the coalition called on the House of Representatives to pass H.Res. 592, the National First Responder Appreciation Day resolution, and finally give first responders their national day of honor.

Rep. Steve Cohen, Tenn.-9th District, joined the coalition in urging the House to pass H.Res. 592 and discussed his plans to support returning war veterans in their pursuit of a career in public safety. He intends to introduce legislation to provide funding to cities, counties and states to train and pay the first year's salaries of veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan who pursue a career in the emergency services.

The First Response Coalition chose Sept. 25 as National First Responder Appreciation Day as it was in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that the full magnitude of the contributions and sacrifices made by first responders received national attention. In the wake of other, more recent national tragedies -- including Hurricane Katrina, the Virginia Tech school shootings and the Minneapolis bridge collapse -- Americans have praised their local firefighters, police officers and emergency medical professionals as "hometown heroes." National First Responder Appreciation Day honors the millions of first responders for their dedication, while acknowledging the critical service they provide every day in protecting our communities.

The FRC's effort to honor first responders has resonated across the nation, with initiatives to establish Sept. 25 as a day of recognition launched at the local, state and federal level. Pennsylvania state Sen. Lisa Baker introduced a resolution to establish Sept. 25 as "Pennsylvania First Responder Recognition Day." In Texas, the communities of Weatherford and Bedford both issued proclamations commemorating Sept. 25 and thanking their local first responders. The FRC continues to work with other cities and states to build grass-roots support for a national day of recognition.

Nearly 40 concerned organizations, including the Points of Light Foundation, Salvation Army, United Way of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and numerous public safety organizations, have endorsed the campaign, and over 6,000 people have signed the FRC's petition calling for a national day of recognition.

Since December 2006, the FRC has led a grass-roots effort urging Congress to formally recognize and honor the men and women of the emergency services by designating Sept. 25 as National First Responder Appreciation Day.

In June, the U.S. Senate passed an FRC-conceived resolution (S.Res. 215) with a bipartisan show of support for the men and women of the emergency services. Over 30 senators, including presidential hopefuls John McCain of Arizona and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, co-sponsored the resolution. H.Res. 592 has been placed on the legislative calendar, but House leaders have yet to schedule it for a vote.

Visit www.firstresponsecoalition.org to learn more about the FRC's campaign for a National First Responder Appreciation Day or contact Steven Jones at 202-263-2904 or sjones@FirstResponseCoalition.org.

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About the FRC

The FRC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that consists of tens of thousands of concerned citizens and first responders, as well as numerous advocacy groups, promoting the needs of America's emergency response community. The FRC is a nationally recognized leader on public safety issues and has been profiled in Newsweek, The Washington Post and featured on CNN.

National First Responder Appreciation Day is sponsored by:

• BlackBerry

• TerreStar

• T-Mobile

Supporting organizations include:

• Advocates for EMS

• All Hazards Consortium

• American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine

• American Corn Growers Association

• American Legislative Exchange Council

• American Public Health Association

• American Radio Relay League

• Association of Air Medical Services

• Association of Emergency Physicians

• Business Civic Leadership Center

• Churches of Scientology Disaster Response

• Colorado State Fire Fighters Association

• Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition

• Gray Panthers

• International Association of Black Professional Firefighters

• International Association of Emergency Managers

• International Association of Flight Paramedics

• League of United Latin American Citizens

• National Association of EMS Physicians

• National Association of Hispanic Firefighters

• National Association of State EMS Officials

• National Black Chamber of Commerce

• National Black Police Association

• National EMS Pilots Association

• National Grange

• National Institute for Urban Search & Rescue

• National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

• Native American Chamber of Commerce

• Operation Respond Institute

• Points of Light Foundation

• Protecting America

• Southeast Louisiana Search & Rescue

• The Salvation Army

• United States Alliance of Emergency Medicine

• United Way of America

• Vehicle Traffic Information Coalition

• Veterans of Foreign Wars

[Text from file received from the First Response Coalition]

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