Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 396

FORMERLY

SENATE BILL NO. 272

AN ACT TO RENAME THE DELAWARE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS CENTER IN SMYRNA IN HONOR OF THE LATE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND FORMER CHIEF OF THE WILMINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, JOHN P. MULHERN, JR.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

WHEREAS, John P. “Sean” Mulhern, Jr. served as Director of Emergency Management Agency from 1993-2001, serving under Governors Thomas R. Carper and Ruth Ann Minner; and

WHEREAS, Sean Mulhern previously served as Chief of the Wilmington Fire Department for 8 years from 1985 to 1993, and served as a member of the City of Wilmington Fire Department for 22 years; and

WHEREAS, Chief Mulhern passed away on the 15th day of April, 2008, at the age of 66 years; and

WHEREAS, he was born in Wilmington on October 4, 1941, attended St. Ann’s Elementary School, and graduated from Salesianum High School in 1960, and Valley Forge Military Academy in 1962; and

WHEREAS, after graduation he joined the National Guard and served from 1963-1970 rising from Private to Staff Sergeant as a full-time member; and in 1968 worked in Wilmington during the civil unrest, earning the Medal of Service in Aid of Civil Authority; and

WHEREAS, his firefighter career began in 1971, and he quickly rose through the ranks of the department to become Chief in 1985; never losing a firefighter on the scene; and, through relentless grant writing, he established the first Marine Unit in Wilmington, to be utilized as firefighting boat on the City Riverfront; and

WHEREAS, after his retirement from the Wilmington Fire Department, he joined Delaware State Services, and was named the Director of Emergency Management in 1993; and

WHEREAS, he was involved in the planning and construction of the new state-of-the art building for DEMA’s central operations located in Smyrna, where the building has attracted national and international attention as a facility for our times and our future; and

WHEREAS, while at DEMA he actively worked with DelDOT to streamline communication during emergencies; and he headed the State’s emergency preparations and operations during 9-11 and subsequently created post-planning for terrorism attacks in the State;

WHEREAS, Sean was widely recognized as a national authority on emergency management techniques, and he taught a course at Harvard University on Emergency Management for Terrorism Events;

NOW THEREFORE:

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GNERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1.The Delaware Emergency Management Operations Center in Smyrna is hereby renamed the “John P. Mulhern Jr.” Emergency Management Operations Center.

Approved July 21, 2008