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.