HOUSE RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING, HONORING, AND THANKING WARWICK POLICE CAPTAIN CHARLES BOISSEAU FOR SAVING THE LIVES OF A CRANSTON FAMILY AFTER THEIR HOUSE CAUGHT FIRE ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 5, 2025

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CONGRATULATING, HONORING, AND THANKING WARWICK POLICE CAPTAIN
CHARLES BOISSEAU FOR SAVING THE LIVES OF A CRANSTON FAMILY AFTER
THEIR HOUSE CAUGHT FIRE ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 5, 2025

Introduced By:
Representatives Shekarchi, Read, Solomon, Bennett, McNamara,
Shanley, Blazejewski, Hopkins, Chippendale, and Kennedy

Date Introduced:
January 27, 2026

Referred To:
House read and passed
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WHEREAS, Warwick Police Captain Charles Boisseau is a dedicated public servant who
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has spent most of his professional life in service to our nation, the State of Rhode Island and the
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City of Warwick. Mr. Boisseau holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from
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Roger Williams University; and
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WHEREAS, Charles Boisseau served our nation with distinction and honor as a Combat
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Medic in the United States Army and the United States Army Reserve. He deployed multiple
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times and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Medical Badge for his heroic
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actions while deployed in Afghanistan; and
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WHEREAS, Captain Boisseau is a 30-year veteran of the Warwick Police Department
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who previously served as a Correctional Officer with the Rhode Island Department of
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Corrections. Within the Warwick Police Department, Captain Boisseau has held positions in the
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Patrol Division, the Traffic Division, and has served as a Patrol Supervisor for the past 12 years;
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and
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WHEREAS, On the night of July 5, 2025, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Captain Charles
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Boisseau was heading home after finishing a detail when he noticed a fire burning in a trash can
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in front of a house on Whispering Pines Drive. Captain Boisseau immediately responded by
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exiting his vehicle, calling 911, and banging on the front door of the house to alert the occupants,
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who were asleep at the time. After receiving no response, Captain Boisseau searched for a hose to
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douse the growing flames. After contacting the homeowner, both attempted to put out the fire;

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however, the water pressure from the hose proved insufficient to extinguish it. When the fire
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began to spread to the garage and house, Captain Boisseau called 911 a second time and then re-
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entered the house with the homeowner to rescue the homeowner's wife and three small children,
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aged 7, 5, and 6 months. All were safely rescued without injury; and
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WHEREAS, The Cranston Fire Department responded swiftly, extinguished the fire and
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determined that the fire was caused by used fireworks that were improperly discarded. Thanks to
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the bravery of Captain Boisseau, no one was hurt. In the words of Cranston Police Chief Michael
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J. Winquist, praising Captain Boisseau, "Had it not been for his immediate actions, the outcome
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could have been tragic. We commend his bravery and selflessness in risking his safety to save
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others."; now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
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honors, congratulates, and thanks Warwick Police Captain Charles Boisseau for saving the lives
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of a Cranston family after their house caught fire on the night of July 5, 2025; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Warwick Police Captain, Charles Boisseau.
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