Bill Text: IL SR0096 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Recognizes the efforts of Illinois' first responders and extends gratitude to all first responders for continuously putting their lives on the line for the citizens of Illinois. Further recognizes and remembers the first responders lost along the way.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-02-23 - Referred to Assignments [SR0096 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SR0096-Introduced.html

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

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

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

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