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Utah House honors nine fallen first responders with official citation
Summary
The Utah House of Representatives voted to authorize the speaker to sign a citation recognizing nine first responders who died in the past year, and read the citation on the chamber floor while families attended.
The Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 20 authorized the speaker to sign a legislative citation honoring nine Utah first responders who died during the past year and expressed condolences to their families.
Representative Ryan D. Wilcox introduced the motion and invited the families of the fallen first responders into the chamber. The reading clerk then read the citation aloud recognizing service members including Sergeant Bill Hooser (Provo City Fire Department), Colton Joseph Nafe (Weber Fire District wildland firefighter), Britney Quay (Roy City Fire Department), Bryce Taylor (Ogden City Police Department), Roman Turner (U.S. Army Reserve and Utah Department of Corrections), Aaron White (Provo City Fire Department / Mapleton City), Sergeant Jordan Whitney (Utah State Prison), and Thomas Wilden (Central Utah Correctional Facility). The House adopted the motion by voice vote.
The citation thanked first responders for their "unwavering dedication and commitment" and singled out the sacrifices made by families. Representative Wilcox told the chamber the citation was intended to honor both the fallen and the families who bear the loss. Representative Karianne Lisonbee and other members urged additional attention to mental health and survivor benefits during remarks on the floor.
Representative Lisonbee said the majority of the deaths recognized were by suicide and noted the need for more mental health supports and benefit clarity for families of responders.
The motion passed by voice vote and the speaker signed the citation; the chamber paused for remarks and applause as family members entered and later exited the floor.
The action was ceremonial rather than statutory and places no new obligations on state agencies, but lawmakers indicated it was accompanied by renewed attention to mental-health and survivor-benefit policy questions.
