SR0096LRB102 11353 LAW 16686 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, History honors the soldiers of war that fight to
3defend the nation; at this time, we honor a different kind of
4soldier fighting a different kind of war, one guided not by
5master tacticians or generals but guided instead by the
6hearts, grit, and resolve of those willing to risk their lives
7not in the trenches of faraway lands but in the intensive care
8units, hospitals, precincts, and fire stations here at home;
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, According to a 2017 compilation of data on the
11Emergency Services Sector in the United States by the
12Department of Homeland Security, the first responder community
13is comprised of an estimated 4.6 million career and volunteer
14professionals within five primary disciplines, which are law
15enforcement, fire and rescue services, emergency medical
16services, emergency management, and public works; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Of all U.S. states, Illinois has the sixth
18largest population and the 25th largest land area and is home
19to over 12 million residents who occupy nearly 58,000 square
20miles of land that is prone to freezing temperatures,
21torrential rains and flash floods, fires, tornados, severe
22storms, and other natural disasters, as well as threats of
23violence and terror; and
 

 

 

SR0096- 2 -LRB102 11353 LAW 16686 r

1    WHEREAS, Illinois is known for its extraordinary response
2to these emergencies; 911 dispatchers, as well as professional
3and volunteer fire, police, emergency medical technicians, and
4paramedic workers stand as our first line of defense in
5protecting our communities to ensure that Illinois is the
6safest place to live, work, and visit; and
 
7    WHEREAS, No greater courage is demonstrated than that of
8the dedicated and brave first responders who run toward
9emergencies that threaten the communities and cities they call
10home and the welfare and lives of those who live there; first
11responders put their lives on the line by protecting and
12administering care to others in need; and
 
13    WHEREAS, First responders accept the challenges and
14responsibilities of serving others without a second thought;
15they selflessly perform their duties, sometimes even at the
16cost of their own safety and lives, in order to provide a
17superior level of service more concerned with the needs of
18others than their own; and
 
19    WHEREAS, With the COVID-19 pandemic, first responders have
20been called to perform a service unlike any the country has
21faced in more than a century; they have proven that they can be
22relied upon to provide their services in the face of more

 

 

SR0096- 3 -LRB102 11353 LAW 16686 r

1adversity, not less; COVID-19 has not replaced the disasters
2of yesterday's normal, but it stands as an extra force with
3which to contend among the disasters of today's new normal;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Swift aid and assistance begins with 911
6dispatchers, the first responders that know too well the
7importance of getting the proper aid where it is most needed as
8efficiently as possible; the responsibility of dispatching
9police, fire, and medical personnel is often the difference
10between lives saved and lives lost; with the unprecedented
11pressure of COVID-19, 911 dispatchers are an integral part of
12the public safety response, now more than ever, and remind us
13that the bridge between refuge and peril begins with the team
14of first responders too often overlooked; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Our attempts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
16have changed more than how we act toward one another; we have
17changed our perspective of heroism, of bravery, and of what it
18means to be a first responder or, as the term has now evolved,
19a frontline and/or essential worker; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The sometimes insurmountable pressure that first
21responders carry on their shoulders, in their gallant pursuit
22to save lives even at the sacrifice of their own, places them
23at the echelon of the those that receive the most thunderous

 

 

SR0096- 4 -LRB102 11353 LAW 16686 r

1praise, the highest of honors, the deepest respect, and the
2most profound recognitions for their consistent commitments
3and contributions to safety, defense, and honor; therefore, be
4it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the
7efforts of Illinois' first responders, and we extend our
8gratitude to all first responders for continuously putting
9their lives on the line for the citizens of Illinois; and be it
10further
 
11    RESOLVED, That we recognize and remember the first
12responders we have lost along the way.