136 Names Added to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial

September 11, 2010– Thousands of fire fighters, family and friends gathered on the sacred grounds of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to remember the lives of the 136 IAFF members who made the ultimate sacrifice in the last year.

A 12-mile-long motorcycle procession of more than 500 fire fighters and 40 fire trucks led mourners to the memorial site. The procession was immediately followed by the service honoring 136 fallen fire fighters.

The Honor Guard marched to the rhythm of the music played by the pipes and drums, the American and Canadian flags were raised and lowered, and the Last Alarm sounded. IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger presided over the memorial observance.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pueblo, CO Local 3 member Bob Falcone

Schaitberger praised the members of Colorado Springs Local 5 and President Mike Smaldino for maintaining the sacred place. And he acknowledged the significance of holding the memorial observance on 9/11.

“We watched in horror as those two towers came down, knowing instantly that an historic tragedy and a profound loss was unfolding before our eyes,” said Schaitberger. “The collective loss of life was tragic.”

Schaitberger also reminded everyone there that it is important to “commemorate every single loss of life as tragic in and of itself.” This year, 15 fire fighters died from injuries sustained on the job, 31 from heart attacks and 90 from job-related illnesses. Cancer was the most common of those illnesses.

“The names on this wall, individually and as a whole, tell a story,” said Schaitberger. “They tell a story of people who answered the call, who never got paid what they should in return for the dangerous jobs they performed, but each of them paid with their lives.”

Schaitberger noted that the stories about each of the 136 fire fighters lost this year will live forever in firehouses and on the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall of Honor.

During the memorial services, Schaitberger and General Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Miller laid a 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 served as professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel and who gave their lives in the line of duty. The organization also provides assistance to surviving families and serves as a public reminder of the risks fire fighters take every day.