HR589: Commending Mark Outlaw.
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw, the chief of the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue, retired on March 30, 2012, after 34 years of faithful service to the residents of the City of Suffolk; and
WHEREAS, while a student at Western Branch High School, Mark Outlaw volunteered as a firefighter, developing a passion for firefighting that led him to pursue an associate?s degree in fire science from Tidewater Community College and join the City of Suffolk as a firefighter in 1977; and
WHEREAS, shortly before Mark Outlaw joined the fire department, the City of Suffolk expanded from two square miles in size to over 400 square miles when Nansemond County was incorporated into the city with two volunteer rescue squads covering the area; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw battled fires alongside his fellow firefighters and rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant and captain while also taking classes in fire administration at Hampton University; and
WHEREAS, in 1994 Mark Outlaw was appointed fire chief at the age of 36, the youngest fire chief in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw quadrupled the size of the fire department, from 63 firefighters to 281 firefighters in nine fire stations across the city, while overseeing the construction of three new fire stations and the renovation of three others; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw increased the number of ambulances staffing the city, resulting in significantly reduced response times, and reorganized firefighting response efforts, putting the highest ranking officer at a scene in charge to better manage firefighting efforts and protect firefighters; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw has made many valuable contributions to firefighting efforts in the City of Suffolk during his tenure and leaves an organization well-positioned to continue to protect and serve residents in the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Mark Outlaw hereby be commended for his 34 years of distinguished service to the residents of the City of Suffolk on the occasion of his retirement as chief of the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark Outlaw as an expression of the House of Delegates? appreciation for his decades of service to the City of Suffolk.
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw, the chief of the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue, retired on March 30, 2012, after 34 years of faithful service to the residents of the City of Suffolk; and
WHEREAS, while a student at Western Branch High School, Mark Outlaw volunteered as a firefighter, developing a passion for firefighting that led him to pursue an associate?s degree in fire science from Tidewater Community College and join the City of Suffolk as a firefighter in 1977; and
WHEREAS, shortly before Mark Outlaw joined the fire department, the City of Suffolk expanded from two square miles in size to over 400 square miles when Nansemond County was incorporated into the city with two volunteer rescue squads covering the area; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw battled fires alongside his fellow firefighters and rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant and captain while also taking classes in fire administration at Hampton University; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, Mark Outlaw was appointed fire chief at the age of 36, the youngest fire chief in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw quadrupled the size of the fire department, from 63 firefighters to 281 firefighters in nine fire stations across the city, while overseeing the construction of three new fire stations and the renovation of three others; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw increased the number of ambulances staffing the city, resulting in significantly reduced response times, and reorganized firefighting response efforts, putting the highest ranking officer at a scene in charge to better manage firefighting efforts and protect firefighters; and
WHEREAS, Mark Outlaw has made many invaluable contributions to firefighting efforts in the City of Suffolk during his tenure and leaves an organization well-positioned to continue to protect and serve residents in the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Mark Outlaw hereby be commended for his 34 years of distinguished service to the residents of the City of Suffolk on the occasion of his retirement as chief of the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark Outlaw as an expression of the House of Delegates? appreciation for his decades of service to the City of Suffolk.