WASHINGTON, June 16 – Senator Bernie Sanders issued the following statement today upon the death of Bennington rescue squad member Dale Long of Bennington in an accident Monday:

“I was greatly saddened when I learned that Dale Long died in a tragic accident as he was driving an ambulance to take an ill patient to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.   To his family, to his friends and colleagues on the Bennington Rescue Squad and to the town of Bennington which he served so long and so well, I extend my most sincere condolences. 

“Dale Long represented much of what is best about Vermont, much what we most honor in our communities.  A quarter of a century ago he discovered not only that he could serve his community by working as an Emergency Medical Technician, but that such service could and did enrich his life immeasurably.   Assisting others in need, serving the community, dedicating his life to the well-being of others: Dale’s commitment mirrors the spirit that has always sustained our towns and our entire state.  In this difficult time, it is a source of consolation that his exemplary service was recognized by his colleagues, both as the Bennington Rescue Squad’s 2008 EMT of the Year, and the recipient of Vermont’s 2009 Star of Life Award just this year. 

“September 11th brought home to millions of Americans what many of us have always known, that our first-responders are among the very bravest and best human beings in our nation.  Dale Long was just such a person, and so it is with a great sense of loss that we mourn this tragic accident.”