Bill Text: CA SCR82 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: California Firefighter Appreciation Month and California Firefighters Memorial Day.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 73-22)
Status: (Passed) 2023-09-13 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 161, Statutes of 2023. [SCR82 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SCR82-Chaptered.html
Senate Concurrent Resolution
No. 82
CHAPTER 161
Relative to California Firefighter Appreciation Month and California Firefighters Memorial Day.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
September 12, 2023.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 82, Wahab.
California Firefighter Appreciation Month and California Firefighters Memorial Day.
This measure would proclaim the month of October 2023 as California Firefighter Appreciation Month and October 14, 2023, as California Firefighters Memorial Day.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, The California Firefighters Memorial, located on the grounds of the State Capitol, serves to honor and commemorate California firefighters who unwaveringly serve our great state with pride, courage, and honor; and
WHEREAS, The California Firefighters Memorial is maintained by the California Fire Foundation to ensure that it continues to be a symbol of gratitude and appreciation to the men and women of the fire service who put their lives on the line each day to protect the people, property, and beauty of California; and
WHEREAS, Each of the over 1,500 names engraved on the brushed limestone walls of the California Firefighters Memorial serves as a timeless tribute to the finest and bravest of our state who have made the ultimate sacrifice as firefighters; and
WHEREAS, The California Firefighters Memorial is the only state monument capturing the names in perpetuity of those courageous firefighters in California who have put service to our great State of California above all else, and these names are currently listed chronologically and include the name of the department where the firefighter served; and
WHEREAS, The California Fire Foundation has embarked on an important effort to expand the California Firefighters Memorial to preserve and continue the everlasting tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great state; and
WHEREAS, The California Firefighters Memorial must be modified in a way that is sufficient in size to inscribe the names of the fallen for decades to come. To ensure that Californians can continue to honor the brave professionals who keep our communities safe, it is imperative that ample, respectful space remain available at the California Firefighters Memorial site for the inscription of the names of future fallen firefighters; and
WHEREAS, The design, construction, and maintenance of the California Firefighters Memorial is financed entirely by donations made to the California Fire Foundation. Historically, donations include those made by firefighters through the purchase of the special Firefighter License Plate and by voluntary contributions from Californians made through a special state income tax checkoff; and
WHEREAS, California firefighters respond to approximately 3,000,000 incidents across the state each year and the scope of their work goes beyond fighting fires. They also provide emergency medical services and respond to natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, water rescue emergencies, high-angle and confined-space emergencies, and other general public service calls; and
WHEREAS, Many of the fallen firefighters whose names adorn the California Firefighters Memorial died either under tragic, traumatic circumstances, or suffered from and ultimately succumbed to work-related diseases, such as occupational cancer, as a result of the hazardous nature of their work, including routine exposure to toxins; and
WHEREAS, The California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2023, in the City of Sacramento to commemorate the line-of-duty service and sacrifice of 34 California fire service professionals; and
WHEREAS, As it did when the California Firefighters Memorial was formally unveiled over two decades ago on April 6, 2002, this year’s ceremony will feature a solemn, uniformed personnel procession. State and local elected officials and other dignitaries, as well as hundreds of Californians, family members, and friends of fallen firefighters, will travel to the City of Sacramento to honor their lost loved ones; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month of October 2023 as California Firefighter Appreciation Month and October 14, 2023, as California Firefighters Memorial Day; and be it further
Resolved, That Californians are urged to always remember the firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty and express their appreciation to those firefighters who continue to protect our families; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
