At
All Times,
Service Above Self |
|
Remarks
by Tom Ridge at LAFD Station 27
by Brian Humphrey
LAFD Firefighter/Paramedic
Dear Friend of the LA Fire Department:
The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department were deeply
touched and inspired by the following remarks from Secretary
of Homeland Security Tom Ridge at a Press Conference announcing
a Homeland Security Grant to Los Angeles. This event was held
at Los Angeles Fire Station #27 in the heart of Hollywood. |
Los Angeles, CA
Press Conference
December 15, 2004
Remarks by Tom Ridge
Secretary of Homeland Security
(as Prepared)
Good afternoon.
I thought I was coming to Hollywood to audition as the next James
Bond. Despite the fact that my wife tells me I'm as handsome as
Pierce Brosnan and as suave as Sean Connery, I did not get the part.
Studio said I don't have the right accent. Well I can fix that.
I just hired a new speech coach, Governor Schwarzenegger…I
told the studio, "I'll be back."
It is great
to be here at Fire Station 27 with the people who are on the front
lines protecting this city and our nation. The L.A. Fire Department
Museum and Fallen Firefighter Memorial next door vividly remind
us of the sacrifices our first responders make every day to keep
our communities safe.
Many thanks
to all of you for the great job you and your teams have done. You
all work extremely hard to protect our nation every day. You are
committed to protecting every citizen from the threat of terrorism,
and I have been fortunate to work with you during the past three
years. Thank you also for your dedication and partnership. We are
not yet safe, but we are safer. And with your continued commitment,
we will prevail and preserve our freedom from those terrorists who
seek to destroy it.
But simply being
committed to that task is not enough to make us safe. We cannot
achieve our collective mission without giving you the tools that
help you do your jobs. Our job at the Department of Homeland Security
is to get you the resources, the funds, the technology, the technical
assistance and the training you need as quickly as we can in order
for you to fight terrorism.
So we are pleased
to announce that California has been awarded more than $282 million
in new fiscal year 2005 Homeland Security Grant Program and Urban
Areas Security Initiative funding. Right here in the Los Angeles
urban area, you have been awarded $65 million.
These grants
are part of the more than $2.5 billion in 2005 grants awarded to
states and urban areas that we announced this month - funds that
will provide local communities and first responders with the resources
they need to prevent, respond to and recover from acts of terrorism
and other disasters.
California has
now received more than $1 billion in homeland security funds since
2002. And you have used those funds well. The equipment here in
back of us -- hazmat rigs, bomb detection equipment, personal protective
equipment - in addition to emergency management software to enable
real-time information exchange and air sampling equipment and chemical
detectors…are examples of that. These are tools that fire fighters
and emergency personnel need to fight terrorism.
And your work
to create four Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Centers to work
in partnership with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the
Department of Justice, the California State Highway Patrol and Emergency
Services shows that you understand our philosophy of shared responsibility,
shared accountability and shared leadership. You understand that
the key to terrorism prevention is mutual cooperation -- sharing
resources such as intelligence, equipment, supplies, training…and
people. Your efforts and example show the nation a level of cooperation,
coordination and communication that reflects the urgency of our
challenge to prevent a terrorist attack and respond to any emergency.
How do we do
this? By sharing information and best practices, developing standards
and plans, and coming together for a common purpose. Thank you all
for helping to lead that effort. And thank you all for your ideas,
energy and cooperation.
With input from
all of you - and state and local partners across the country - these
new grants will get the tools to fight terror more quickly to those
who need them most - first responders on the front lines.
Working together,
we have continually improved the grant process. We have streamlined
funding procedures, expedited the flow of funds and established
greater accountability measures. All of these initiatives will enhance
the capabilities of our nation's first responders to prevent terrorism
and respond to emergencies.
In the end,
it is our collective commitment as a country to confront terrorism
that will mean the ultimate difference in this war on terrorism.
These grants
are an important part of our common mission to preserve our freedoms,
and protect America. And we will fulfill our mission. We will meet
this urgent challenge. And, together, we will win this war.
Thank you.
by
Tom Ridge
###
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Paramedic
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
E-Mail: beh9593@lafd.lacity.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Los Angeles Fire Department Home Page:
http://www.lafd.org
Subscribe to the LAFD Public Information E-Newsletter:
http://www.lafd.org/info.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
