News

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration announce that the 28th annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend will be held October 2-4, 2009. A plaque with the names of 103 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2008 will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located on the National Fire Academy campus in Emmitsburg, MD. The names of 19 firefighters who died in previous years will also be added. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which was established in 1981, will contain the names of more than 3,300 firefighters.

 

Thirty-six states experienced line-of-duty deaths in 2008. Deaths resulted from many causes, including vehicle accidents while enroute to or returning from emergency calls, training incidents, building collapses, diving incidents, natural disaster response, being struck by objects (vehicles, trees, waterway from aerial devices, and gunshot wounds) at the incident scene, falls, heart attacks, helicopter/air tanker crashes, and burns.

 

"Our country's firefighters make a commitment day in and day out to protect others from the ravages of fire and many other life threatening hazards,” said  Chief Dennis Compton, Chairman of the NFFF Board of Directors. “Each year we gather at the site of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial to pay tribute to those firefighters who paid the ultimate price in the performance of their duties. The fire service is honored and humbled to memorialize these fallen heroes and show our sincere appreciation for the sacrifices made by those they left behind."

 

For more information about the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend visit Weekend.FireHero.org.