Firehouse.Com News
Also See: 444 Bravest Lost Lives On-Duty in 2001
Each October, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Emmitsburg,
Maryland presents a weekend memorial service that hosts the families of
firefighters, EMTs and paramedics who have died in the line of duty across
the nation. Names of the fallen are placed on a wall of honor and family
members attend ceremonies and workshops which bring them closer together as
a special family.
The campus of the US Fire Administration which is home to NFFF, has managed
in the past years to host thousands(over 6000 including President George
Bush in 2001) who have attended the main ceremony. But the 2002 ceremony
which will honor over 400 firefighters, over four times the recent annual number. NFFF
Executive Director Ron Siarnicki is facing an enormous task of gathering
perhaps four times as many people for the weekend.
In a recent statement, Siarnicki said: It is truly unfortunate that our
nations fire service has experienced the massive loss of life that has
occurred this past year. All too often, these brave men and women who make
the supreme sacrifice while ensuring that our communities are safe, leaving
behind families and friends who have to pull their lives back together.
As a nation, we must remain focused on the importance of never allowing for
one of these heroes to be forgotten and as a fire service, we must do
everything possible to ensure that this loss of life be eliminated. The
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is charged with the responsibility
of taking care of our own and most importantly with attending to the
emotional needs and well being of our fire service survivors.
A task that will require a monumental effort due to the large number of Line
of Duty Deaths that occurred in 2001. Plans are currently underway for this
year’s memorial service, which will, unfortunately, not be like any other
one that has been held before. The circumstances of sheer numbers alone
will require the foundation to take a new approach to addressing the
critical elements of the 2002 Memorial Weekend. Hopefully, we will never
have to plan for an event of this magnitude and someday return our lives to
some sense of normalcy. More specific information will be made available on
the event by the foundation within the coming weeks. Details will be posted
on our web site at www.firehero.org when they become available.
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