HJ459: Commending James W. Carter.


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 459
Commending James W. Carter.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 5, 2014
Agreed to by the Senate, March 7, 2014

 

WHEREAS, James W. Carter was first employed by the Virginia Beach Fire Department in December 1970; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was promoted to lieutenant, a position that was retitled to captain; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was promoted to captain (battalion chief), district chief, and deputy chief within a 10-year period, and beginning on August 1, 1998, he served a term as acting fire chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department until October 31, 1999; and

WHEREAS, in 1989, James Carter led the Virginia Beach Fire Department Response Team to operate in Charleston, South Carolina, in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo; and

WHEREAS, as the operations chief in 1992, James Carter supported Virginia Task Force 2, one of the original FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces that responded to the Oklahoma City bombing and responded to the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was present for and operated at many major fire incidents in the City of Virginia Beach, including the Cavalier Hotel fire, the Boatel Dry Storage Marina, and many others in the 1970s and 1980s; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was instrumental in mentoring the present fire chief in Virginia Beach, as well as several current fire chiefs throughout the country, including those in Newport News; Frisco, Texas; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Port Orange, Florida; and

WHEREAS, after serving for 32 years with the Virginia Beach Fire Department, James Carter retired from the fire service; and

WHEREAS, James Carter became active with the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association (VFCA) in 1992, after having been a member for 10 years; he started working with vendors at the VFCA mid-winter conference in Williamsburg, eventually becoming the chairman of the Vendor Committee, for which he was responsible for moving the conference and trucks from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach in 1997; and

WHEREAS, James Carter helped the conference grow from a tent in a parking lot at the George Washington Inn to an event filling two-thirds of the Virginia Beach Convention Center; in 1995, he became the chairman of the conference and held that position until 2013; and

WHEREAS, James Carter served as president of the VFCA from 2002 to 2004, bringing his ideas, salesmanship, bartering techniques, gift of gab, and budget-busting style to the leadership of the association; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, James Carter became the public relations and marketing director for the VFCA, and from 2008 to 2013, he became the executive director of the VFCA, a position he largely created the job description for; and

WHEREAS, citizens throughout the Commonwealth have benefited from James Carter’s expertise in fire service, and he will be sorely missed by the members of the VFCA; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend James W. Carter for his distinguished service to the City of Virginia Beach Fire Department, the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, and his community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to James W. Carter as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his many years of service and for his valuable contributions to improving the quality of fire protection in the Commonwealth.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 459

Offered March 3, 2014
Commending James W. Carter.
Patrons-- Stolle, Cole, Hester and Rasoul; Senators: Puckett and Stuart

WHEREAS, James W. Carter was first employed by the Virginia Beach Fire Department in December 1970; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was promoted to lieutenant, a position that was retitled to captain; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was promoted to captain (battalion chief), district chief, and deputy chief within a 10-year period, and beginning on August 1, 1998, he served a term as acting fire chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department until October 31, 1999; and

WHEREAS, in 1989, James Carter led the Virginia Beach Fire Department Response Team to operate in Charleston, South Carolina, in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo; and

WHEREAS, as the operations chief in 1992, James Carter supported Virginia Task Force 2, one of the original FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces that responded to the Oklahoma City bombing and responded to the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was present for and operated at many major fire incidents in the City of Virginia Beach, including the Cavalier Hotel fire, the Boatel Dry Storage Marina, and many others in the 1970s and 1980s; and

WHEREAS, James Carter was instrumental in mentoring the present fire chief in Virginia Beach, as well as several current fire chiefs throughout the country, including those in Newport News; Frisco, Texas; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Port Orange, Florida; and

WHEREAS, after serving for 32 years with the Virginia Beach Fire Department, James Carter retired from the fire service; and

WHEREAS, James Carter became active with the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association (VFCA) in 1992, after having been a member for 10 years; he started working with vendors at the VFCA mid-winter conference in Williamsburg, eventually becoming the chair of the Vendor Committee, for which he was responsible for moving the conference and trucks from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach in 1997; and

WHEREAS, James Carter helped the conference grow from a tent in a parking lot at the George Washington Inn to an event filling two-thirds of the Virginia Beach Convention Center; in 1995, he became the chair of the conference and held that position until 2013; and

WHEREAS, from 2002 to 2004, James Carter was elected president of the VFCA, bringing his ideas, salesmanship, bartering techniques, gift of gab, and budget-busting style to the leadership of the association; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, James Carter became the public relations and marketing director for the VFCA, and from 2008 to 2013, he became the executive director of the VFCA, a position he largely created the job description for; and

WHEREAS, citizens throughout the Commonwealth have benefited from James Carter’s expertise in fire service, and he will be sorely missed by the members of the VFCA; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend James W. Carter for his distinguished service with the City of Virginia Beach Fire Department, the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, and his community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to James W. Carter as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his many years of service and for his valuable contributions to improving the quality of fire protection in the Commonwealth.