SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 41

(By Senators Green, Beach and Browning)

Requesting the Division of Highways to name the East Beckley bypass bridge on U. S. Route 19 over Cranberry Creek, in Raleigh County, bridge number 41-19-14.47, the “Fire Captain Fred Burroughs Memorial Bridge”.

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs, also known as Frederick Allen Burroughs, was born on December 21, 1955, the youngest of five children born to Martin (“Mike”) Burroughs, Sr., and Betty Burroughs; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs graduated from Shady Spring High School in 1974, was a standout football and basketball player and was inducted into Shady’s football Hall of Fame in 1995; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs, at the age of seventeen, became a volunteer firefighter and spent thirty-three years serving with the Ghent Volunteer Fire Department in various capacities, including as a fire chief, assistant chief, and at the time of his death as a captain and a member of the board of directors; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs was married to his soul mate, Hazel, since May 14, 1982, and both were blessed to have a son, Christopher Allen, and a daughter, Lindsay Pauline, who were only nineteen and twelve years old respectively at the time of his death; and

     Whereas, Fred Burroughs was proud to have been selected to officiate six West Virginia State High School basketball tournaments and, in 2003, was selected as the WV Basketball Official of the Year; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs at the time of his death was an inspector for the Beckley/Raleigh County Code Enforcement Department; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs, on January 30, 2007, after a call for an inspection at Flat Top Lake, stopped in the Little General Store and was advised by the staff of a propane leak; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs instructed the workers to close the store immediately and gave instructions for the parking lot to be evacuated and for no customers to be allowed on the parking lot; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs had gone to the rear of the store to determine the cause of the leak when the store exploded, killing him instantly, as well as killing another emergency responder and two propane technicians that day and injuring others; and

    Whereas, Fred Burroughs was instrumental in saving people from harm that fateful day, and his ultimate sacrifice left a tremendous void in the lives of his wife, children, mother, other family members, friends, coworkers and fellow firefighters that can never be filled; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways to name the East Beckley bypass bridge on U. S. Route 19 over Cranberry Creek, in Raleigh County, bridge number 41-19-14.47, the “Fire Captain Fred Burroughs Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs identifying the bridge as the “Fire Captain Fred Burroughs Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways and to the family of Frederick Allen Burroughs.