Apr. 11, 2016
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| Rep. Martina White with members of the Goodwin family. |
HARRISBURG—A House bill sponsored by Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) to honor the sacrifice of fallen firefighter Battalion Chief Michael R. Goodwin Sr. has passed the House.
House Bill 1787 would rename a portion of State Route 1013 (Academy Road from Byberry Road to Nanton Drive) in Philadelphia as the Michael R. Goodwin Sr. Memorial Highway.
“A firefighter’s first act of bravery is taking the oath to serve, and everyone who takes that pledge knows that, one day, they may not come home,” White said. “Michael R. Goodwin Sr. was one of those men.”
On April 6, 2013, Goodwin, who lived in Parkwood, answered a call to a factory fire when a floor collapsed trapping Goodwin inside the inferno. Prior to his death, Goodwin was on the list to be promoted to the rank of battalion chief; he received the promotion posthumously.
“As new generations of Philadelphians pass by that road and see that sign they will remember the sacrifice Mike made that day,” White said. “In a bigger way, they will understand the bravery of that special breed who leave their homes every day knowing they may never return.”
Watch White’s remarks here.