Vermont S.C.R. 11: Senate concurrent resolution in memory of Springfield civic leader and consummate volunteer Jean Muriel (Follett) Willard

Bill Text

R-369 Page 1 of 1
2026

VT LEG #389980 v.1
No. R-369. Senate concurrent resolution honoring the outstanding former Williston
Fire Chief Kenneth Morton Jr.
(S.C.R.11)
Offered by Senators Lyons, Chittenden, and Ram Hinsdale,
Offered by Representatives Arsenault of Williston, Brady of Williston, and Burkhardt
of South Burlington,
Whereas, in 1982, the Town of Williston still retained a significant rural character with
11 farms, no buildings higher than two floors, no senior housing facilities, and absolutely
no box stores or large shopping centers, and, by 2020, the municipality was highly
suburbanized, and
Whereas, to serve this community, which inevitably embarked on a transformative
change from semirural to overwhelmingly suburban, there existed a fire department
consisting of an exclusively volunteer force, and
Whereas, that year, Ken Morton, whose firefighting experience began a decade earlier
as a Norwich University freshman, joined the Williston Fire Department, which responded
to 104 emergency calls during his inaugural year, and
Whereas, as Williston grew to a town of approximately 10,000 residents with all the
suburban attributes it lacked in 1982, the selectboard and the citizens supported a major
metamorphosis in the fire department’s organizational structure and services, and
Whereas, in 1992, the Town of Williston appointed Ken Morton as fire chief, and his
great leadership and guidance for the next 28 years propelled the department to new
heights, and
Whereas, during former Chief Ken Morton’s tenure, the Williston Fire Department
increased its staff to 16 career and 16 on-call firefighters; in 2000, the department
established an emergency medical service, replacing the preexisting nonprofit
organization; in 2010, the Town of Williston expanded this service to include ambulance
transport, and it now offers paramedicine-level care; in 2007, a large modern new fire
station opened and over the years the vehicle fleet has been updated; and, by 2020, the
department was responding to over 2,000 annual emergency calls, and
Whereas, Chief Ken Morton was widely respected among his professional peers across
Vermont and left an extraordinary legacy of firefighting excellence, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly honors the outstanding former Williston Fire Chief Kenneth
Morton Jr., and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Ken Morton and the Williston Fire Department.