Honor Norwich Fire Chief

Senate Resolution No. 5266 BY: Senator AKSHAR COMMENDING Chief Tracy Chawgo upon the occasion of his retirement after more than 30 years of distinguished service to the Norwich Fire Department WHEREAS, Citizens across our State and Nation are inspired by and indebted to our noble volunteer firefighters who exhibit courage and bravery every day in the course of their duties; and WHEREAS, Volunteer firefighters exemplify the power of human compassion and the strength of the American spirit through actions of the most heroic magnitude; their sacrifices and their selfless dedication merit tribute and recognition by all citizens of this great country; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Chief Tracy Chawgo upon the occasion of his retirement after more than 30 years of distinguished service to the Norwich Fire Department; and WHEREAS, For most of his adult life, the firehouse has been Chief Tracy Chawgo's home away from home; he began serving the residents of the community of Norwich, New York as a volunteer responder; in October of 1997, he began his long and illustrious career as a firefighter; and WHEREAS, Throughout the years, Tracy Chawgo held several positions within the Department; on April 10, 2008, he was elected to the esteemed title of Chief, a position he held until he officially retired on Thursday, May 17, 2018; and WHEREAS, Never one to sit idle, Tracy Chawgo plans to spend some of his free time working for the Cooperstown Medical Transport as an ambulance paramedic, a role where he feels he can really help people when they are at their worst; and WHEREAS, In addition, Tracy Chawgo and his wife, Mindy, will continue to work on their project of transforming an old school bus into a motorhome; once completed, they plan on taking many road trips, exploring the world; and WHEREAS, For over three decades, Chief Tracy Chawgo rendered faithful, conscientious and valuable service to the Norwich Fire Department, earning him the admiration, esteem and affection of his colleagues; and WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the occurrence of such a compassionate blending of strength, leadership, intellect, and commitment as that demonstrated by Chief Tracy Chawgo over a lifetime of sacrifice and dedication to others; and WHEREAS, Firefighters unwaveringly serve our great State with pride, valor, and integrity; these respected volunteers are often the first to respond to an emergency, whether the emergency is a fire, transportation accident, natural disaster, act of terrorism, medical crisis, or spill of hazardous materials; and WHEREAS, It takes a special dedication, a strong desire to help others and a tireless sense of community to forsake precious time with family and friends to respond to the signal that a neighbor is in need; Chief Tracy Chawgo is such a firefighter; throughout more than 30 years of devoted service, this volunteer heroically performed, above and beyond the call of duty, those responsibilities which define the task of fire protection; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend Chief Tracy Chawgo upon the occasion of his retirement after more than 30 years of distinguished service to the Norwich Fire Department, and to wish him continued success in all his future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Chief Tracy Chawgo.