February 4, 2025 Board of Supervisors Meeting - Feb 04, 2025

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Fairfax County Board of Supervisors 4h 52m 8 speakers 8 agenda items transcribed 5 days ago official recording ↗

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What is discussed at the start of this section?

Jeffrey C. McKay 0:08

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our board meeting of February 5th, 2025. It got quiet in here real quick, so well done, everyone. Welcome to our board meeting, and we are going to begin the meeting as we always do, which is to have a moment of silence. And before we rise for a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance, which is what we usually kick our meetings off with, I do want to ask my colleagues if they have folks that they would like to remember and keep in our thoughts and prayers and ask the board to bear with me because I have a long one and it may take a little bit of time for us this morning. But obviously I want to start by recognizing the victims of the airplane helicopter collision last week.

Jeffrey C. McKay 0:54

I think obviously For many of us was a jolt and really tragic affair. But just to recap, last Wednesday, an inbound passenger jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter from the 12th Aviation Battalion right here out of Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. with three service members on board, all three perishing sadly. One of those service members is a stepfather of a student in our Fairfax County Public Schools. This tragic loss of life was made much more local for us when we learned that news, but also that three of our FCPS students and six FPS parents were among the victims of the crash. I think I speak for all of us when I say our hearts are broken and our prayers remain with the families, friends, and colleagues impacted by this devastating crash.

Jeffrey C. McKay 1:54

I also want to make sure we remain committed to supporting not only the victims' families, but also our first responders in our community who have been affected. As a board, we'll continue working closely with our regional partners, school leaders, and public safety officials to ensure that counseling and other necessary resources are available during this difficult time. There are relief efforts in our community, and I'd ask our Office of Public Affairs to help publicize those where possible. For example, we know the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia has joined the Capital Area Community Foundations to launch DCA Together Relief Fund, which supports the families of the victims, first responders, and organizations who are aiding both the recovery and healing.

Jeffrey C. McKay 2:40

to donate, thecommunityfoundation.org. and click on DCA Together Relief Fund. Finally, I think we can all take some measure of pride and comfort knowing that our own Fairfax County first responders answered the call to support multiple public safety agencies across our region. I want to thank all the first responders who participated and reiterate that we will provide ongoing support and counseling for those who no doubt faced incredibly difficult circumstances during this operation. I also understand Inova Health Systems Employee Assistance Program staff has been on site providing this kind of support as well. And just to recap, the units from Fairfax County who were deployed from our Fairfax County Police Department, our Fairfax One helicopter,

Jeffrey C. McKay 3:28

Marine Patrol Unit and Dive Team, from our Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, 22 units and 68 personnel, and from our Department of Emergency Management and Security, also supported the Regional Incident Management Team, ensuring a coordinated and effective response. And I know that I had an opportunity to speak with both Senator Warner and Congressman Beyer specifically about this incident and nothing but good words expressed on behalf of our Fairfax team for the work that they did. And our federal representatives, of course, made sure that continued support would be there for all those public safety officials affected. And then finally on this issue, one of the text messages among the many, many that I got from folks after this happened was from a

Jeffrey C. McKay 4:20

retired supervisor from Rockingham County, Virginia, who incidentally was part of the federal investigative efforts after the Air Florida crash, which if you've been in this area long enough, you know about the Air Florida crash.