IAFF Remembers 137 Fallen Fire Fighters

September 22, 2008 – On Saturday, September 20, 2008, a crowd of approximately 5,000 fire fighters, family and friends from the United States and Canada made their 22nd annual pilgrimage to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial observance honoring 137 fallen fire fighters.

As a special honor to the fallen, a procession of fire apparatus and motorcycles, known as the "Ride to Remember," journeyed to the memorial site in the shadow of Pike’s Peak. On behalf of the 290,000 members of the IAFF, General President Harold Schaitberger presided over the ceremony.

More names were added this year than any other year since 2002 when 499 member names were etched into the memorial wall –including those who died September 11, 2001.

“Every year, as I walk these hallowed grounds, I think to myself, ‘I wish a year could pass without a single name being carved into this wall’ because that would mean 137 families didn’t have to bury a loved one, 137 families weren’t torn apart, 137 families didn’t have to ask ‘why?’,” said Schaitberger.

He acknowledged, “But as everyone who has taken the oath to serve in our profession knows, that wish is just a dream because the reality is that losing our own in the line of duty is a terrible, but expected consequence of the job.”

Furthermore, there is a reason for all of the ceremonial displays – the “Ride to Remember,” the more than 115 pipers and drums, nearly 700 Honor Guard and the sounding of the final bell. Those displays “represent the courageous and proud service that has been given,” Schaitberger said. “This is how we cope. This is how we mourn. This is how we salute those we have lost and how we salute you.”

Before leaving the memorial site, President Schaitberger laid the wreath in memory of the fallen. Families received an IAFF memorial flag in remembrance of their loved one’s sacrifice.

The mission of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial is to honor the sacrifice made by IAFF members who serve as professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Since it was built in 1976, the names of 2,152 fallen IAFF members have been engraved into the wall of honor. The organization also provides assistance to surviving families and serves as a public reminder of the risks fire fighters take every day. The memorial is maintained by members of Colorado Springs Local 5.