LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Fire Chief William MacKay upon the occa-
sion of his retirement after many years of distinguished service to the
City of Niagara Falls to be celebrated on June 15, 2010

WHEREAS, The firefighters of New York State are renowned throughout the
Nation; their reputation is synonymous with excellence in the arduous
field of fire protection and prevention; and
WHEREAS, Since the early days of "teapot steamers", firefighters have
been the cornerstone of our great Nation's efforts to spare us from the
ravages of fire; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Fire
Chief William MacKay upon the occasion of his retirement after many
years of distinguished service to the City of Niagara Falls to be cele-
brated at a Going Away Party at the Como Restaurant, Niagara Falls, New
York, on Tuesday, June 15, 2010; and
WHEREAS, A native New Yorker, William MacKay is a 33-year veteran of
the fire service who began his career on Long Island; he spent 25 years
with the Fairfax County Virginia Fire and Rescue Department retiring in
2005 as the Battalion Chief of Special Operations; and
WHEREAS, In this capacity, William MacKay was responsible for all
aspects associated with response to Hazardous Materials Technical
Rescue, and other highly specialized incidents; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, William MacKay was appointed Deputy Coordinator of
Emergency Management for Fairfax County; he was responsible for train-
ing, coordination, and readiness for a county whose population exceeded
one million people and, due to its proximity to the Nation's capital,
constantly operated at a heightened level of threat; and
WHEREAS, William MacKay developed inter-agency and intergovernmental
plans that would allow local government to effectively respond to all
types of incidents within the National Capital Region; and
WHEREAS, William MacKay has an extensive background in counterterror-
ism and the response to natural and man-made disasters; furthermore, he
is a principal author of the curriculum used at the National Fire Acade-
my to prepare this Nation's firefighters to respond to both domestic and
international incidents involving terrorism; and
WHEREAS, William MacKay has been deployed to assist local efforts in
response to significant incidents, some of which include serving as the
Emergency Operations Center manager in New Orleans following Hurricane
Katrina, the World Trade Center Site, and many others; and
WHEREAS, William MacKay holds a degree in Fire Administration and has
attended a number of courses at the National Fire Academy; he is certi-
fied as a Fire Officer III, Incident Commander, Operations Chief, Plan-
ning Chief, and was a member of the National Capital Region Incident
Management Team; and
WHEREAS, William MacKay has attended advanced level training in chemi-
cal and biological agents, nuclear material, explosives, and is an
instructor for the Department of Homeland Security; and
WHEREAS, In March of 2006, William MacKay was appointed Fire Chief for
the City of Niagara Falls; as Fire Chief, he was responsible for a
department of 150 members; and
WHEREAS, Since June of 2006, William MacKay and his wife have resided
in Niagara Falls, New York, where they are both very active members of
the community; and
WHEREAS, Firefighters and fire departments not only provide the crit-
ical service of fire protection but also engage in other activities of
great benefit and importance to the communities they serve; and

WHEREAS, Chief William MacKay is a firefighter who, throughout 33
years of devoted service, has 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
honor Fire Chief William MacKay upon the occasion of his retirement
after years of distinguished service to the City of Niagara Falls to be
celebrated on June 15, 2010; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Fire Chief William MacKay, Niagara Falls, New York.