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Wednesday, November 5, 2003

The House on Tuesday approved legislation honoring the late Rick Lupe, a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona and lead forestry technician for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Lupe died on June 19, as a result of injuries sustained in a prescribed fire in May of this year. �Congressman Rick Renzi (R) called him a shining example of a firefighter who took great pride in his work and even more pride in his family. �Lupe left behind a wife of 21 years, Evelyn, and three sons, Sean, Daniel and Brent.

"Arizona lost a true hero in Rick Lupe. Under Mr. Lupe's great leadership, firefighters created a back burn that stopped the fire line at Hop Canyon so that the fire did not cross a major interstate, protecting numerous homes and lives," �Renzi said. "Given the fires that recently raged across Southern California and the over 11,000 firefighters that battled the blazes, we should not forget how many men and women are putting their lives on the line in the same manner that Mr. Lupe did for decades."

Lupe is considered one of the heroes in the battle against last year's Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of his tribe's reservation. He helped keep the blaze from spreading to three communities.

Renzi introduced House Concurrent Resolution 237 on June 26, shortly after Lupe's passing H.Con.Res. 237 passed the House by a unanimous vote.

To view the text of this legislation visit http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/az01_renzi/lupe.html

Relevant Links:
White Mountain Apache Tribe - http://www.wmat.nsn.us

Related Stories:
Rick Lupe, Apache firefighter, dies of burns (06/20)
Apache firefighter in stable but critical condition (06/04)
Apache fire accident being investigated (05/20)
Apache firefighter in critical condition (5/19)

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