Andrew Sheeler
The Sacramento Bee
(TNS)
The California Fire Foundation this weekend came together to honor nearly three dozen firefighters who fell in the line of duty.
The ceremony was held Saturday afternoon at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento. Among those speaking at the memorial was California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I want to thank you for the devotion and cause that unites all of us here today, and that’s each other. And I want to thank all of those remarkable heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice and now are honored on the heroes’ wall,” Newsom said.
The names of all 35 fallen firefighters will be added to the memorial wall in Capitol Park.
The following firefighters were honored Saturday:
Matthew Brabo – Cal Fire
Anthony Cano – Lakeside
Miguel Cervantes – Rancho Cucamonga
Matthew Clapsaddle – Ventura City
Paul Crimmins – City of San Rafael
Henry Doody – Oakland
Brian Falk – Kern County
Daniel Geary – Cal Fire
Scott Gomes – Cal Fire
Karl Hegle – San Bernardino County
Michael Horton – San Bernardino County
Earl Jones – Oakland
Heath Kelly – South San Francisco
Stephen Leong – Fresno city
Steven McCann – Los Angeles County
Peder McElroy – Branciforte
John McNelis – Barstow
Roberto Medina – National City
Timothy James Mrozinski – Rocklin
Russell N. Nakamura – Los Angeles
Marcus Pacheco – USFS
Steven Padgett – Oakland
Howard Pheatte – Oakland
Nickolas Ramirez III – San Diego
Matthew Rominger – USMC
Kyle Rutherford – Sacramento Metropolitan
Mark Schmidt – Kern County
Jack Sheppard – San Ramon Valley
Timothy Strack – Riverside
Michael Tooley – Orange County
Victor Vega – Richmond
Jeffrey Vitti – Sacramento Metropolitan
Stephen Wakefield – Crescent City
James Waldmeier – San Luis Obispo
Jerry G. Welton – Monrovia
Applications for names to be added to the wall next year will be taken beginning in Spring 2024.
©2023 The Sacramento Bee. Visit sacbee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
