Planning for the National Fallen Firefighters' Memorial Weekend has been underway for several months.
During the annual memorial -- set for Oct. 1-3 -- 105 firefighters will be honored. Of those, 11 are military personnel.
"When criteria for inclusion on the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial were set years ago, the military was some how left out or overlooked," NFFF Executive Director Ron Siarnicki told the planning group Friday.
But, earlier this year the NFFF Board of Directors changed that. Those who will be honored include military personnel whose primary responsibility was firefighting.
The families of military heroes will have a military escort as well as one from the fire service. The honorees this year were members of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force.
Preparations for the memorial weekend appear to be coming together well, according to John McGrath, incident commander.
McGrath, who also is chief of the Raleigh, N.C. Fire Dept., allowed every sector commander to give briefings. Volunteers from all areas in the country participate in the service.
Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines said it was an honor to participate in remembering the men and women who die in the line of duty.
"This is hallowed ground here," he said pointing in the direction of the memorial. "And, I remind myself what we do here is important."
Gaines, a former fire chief, said the USFA stands committed to promoting the 16 Life Safety Initiatives to keep firefighters safe.
Larry Curl, production coordinator, said things are moving along at a good pace.
Operating under an incident command structure makes things work more smoothly, he noted.
"Everyone submits an Incident Action Plan (IAP)," he said adding that members of the fire service are used to be adaptable. "We know things may come up. But, we'll handle them."
Although they come from varied backgrounds, those planning the NFFF memorial weekend have one thing in common -- to honor their fallen brothers and sisters and support the survivors.
Siarnicki said despite the tough economy, there has been no decline in those wanting to be part of the process. That, he said, shows the commitment involved.
About the Author
Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.