04/23/07 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING APRIL 23, 2007 RESOLUTION NO. 3734-07 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, PUBLICLY HONORING SOUTH BEND FIRE CHIEF LUTHER J. TAYLOR FOR AN EXEMPLARY 34-YEAR PUBLIC SAFETY CAREER AND FOR HIS MORE THAN 21 YEARS F LEADERSHIP & SERVICE BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AS SOUTH BEND FIRE CHIEF FROM 1985 TO 2007 Whereas, the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, notes that on October 16, 1972, Luther J. Taylor was sworn in as a firefighter on the South Bend Fire Department and was assigned to Station # 7 located at 1616 Portage Avenue, where he worked as the fire department's lgt "tillerman" on the station's ladder truck; and Whereas, based on his willingness to help, and his courage, strength and desire to serve unselfishly, Luther J. Taylor quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to Captain of an Engine Company in 1976, promoted to Battalion Chief for fire suppression in 1980, and on October 25, 1985, was named the 28~` Fire Chief of the South Bend Fire Department by Mayor Roger O. Parent; and is the longest serving Fire Chief in the fire department's long and stellar history; and Whereas, the Common Council recognizes that during the 21+ years as Fire Chief and more than 34 years of exemplary service on the South Bend Fire Department, Fire Chief Taylor has exemplified the very best of the Maltese Cross which is depicted on the patch worn on the uniform of every sworn firefighter, which manifests the very best of gallantry, loyalty, perseverance, sympathy, dexterity, explicitness, observation, and tact"; and Whereas, the camaraderie of the brave men and women who have served under Fire Chief Taylor over the many years; his emphasis on training and his dedication to having the very best of gear and equipment; the construction of the new Central Headquarters, Fire Station # 10 and Fire Station # 2, and renovations of other fire facilities; the many successful and positive labor negotiations with the South Bend Firefighter's Association Local No. 362 of the International Association of Firefighters AFL-CIO; increasing the department from 211 to 248 sworn firefighters; providing professional fire services to the University of Notre Dame since 1989; playing a pivotal role in establishing countywide Emergency Medical Service operations in 1997; increasing the number of ambulances from two to seven; overseeing an annual Fire Department budget of more than $23 million; creating a haz-mat response team; special operation units for river rescue, tactical rescue, confined space, and trench and structural collapse rescue; instituting an annual physical program; implementing a 5-year vehicle replacement program; staffmg neo-natal ambulances at Memorial Hospital; computerizing all eleven (11) fire stations; and instituting a promotion system---are just some of the many, many accomplishments and some examples of the vision which Fire Chief Luther Taylor and his extraordinary administrative sworn and civil staff members have provided in making the South Bend Fire Department "One of the Best in the Midwest" culminating in a rich and enduring legacy. Now, Therefore, be it resolved, by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, as follows: Section L On behalf of all of the citizens of the City of South Bend, Indiana, the Common Council is especially proud to honor and formally salute South Bend Fire Chief Luther J. Taylor for his outstanding 34-year public safety career on the South Bend Fire Department. The Council truly believes that Chief Taylor exemplifies par excellence the very best of leadership and public service, and is a true role model to firefighters across the nation. The Common Council hereby commits to continue to work with the City Administration to make the regional training center which Chief Taylor has proposed a