WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad will proudly celebrate 30 years of providing outstanding service to the Hampton Roads region in 2013; and

WHEREAS, founded in 1983, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad is composed of highly trained professional personnel and is nationally accredited by the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board and the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Hazardous Devices Operations Section; and

WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad is one of only 28 fire department-based bomb teams in the United States, the only civilian Explosive Ordinance Device response asset on the Virginia Peninsula, and the only civilian bomb squad based on the north side of Hampton Roads; and

WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad protects an area of more than 700 square miles that includes six military installations, two major universities, thousands of businesses, and more than 476,000 residents; and

WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad, a member of the Hampton Roads Regional Metropolitan Bomb Squad, provides assistance to the Newport News Police Department Tactical Operations Unit and is also available to respond, upon request, to all of the jurisdictions in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Statistical Area; and

WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad also assists the Virginia State Police; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and

WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad has also been utilized by the United States Secret Service during presidential visits and other high profile dignitary visits to the Hampton Roads region; and

WHEREAS, the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad has played a vital role in the safety of the Hampton Roads region for the past 30 years; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad on the occasion of its 30th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Newport News Fire Department Bomb Squad as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations and admiration for the squad's commitment to serving the residents of the Hampton Roads region.