2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 586

Commending the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 10, 2025

WHEREAS, in September 2024, the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team deployed to Southwest Virginia to provide critical assistance to communities affected by Hurricane Helene; and

WHEREAS, the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team is a highly trained, specialized unit with more than 15 years of experience conducting high-risk waterborne rescue operations; and

WHEREAS, on September 26, 2024, with Hurricane Helene making landfall, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management stationed members of the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team in Norton, where they coordinated with other rescue teams from Arlington County and Stafford County; and

WHEREAS, intense rainfall from Hurricane Helene caused significant flooding, landslides, and road washouts, and over the course of two days, the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team courageously rescued 24 people near the Town of Damascus; and

WHEREAS, in the course of their operations, Ross Shannon of the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team also recovered a United States flag from flood debris; and

WHEREAS, the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team served the residents of Southwest Virginia with the utmost bravery and determination, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to public safety; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team hereby be commended for saving multiple lives during a deployment to areas affected by Hurricane Helene in 2024; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the team's heroic achievements in service to their fellow Virginians.