Honor Guard and Pipes & Drums

Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial

Who Can Participate

All IAFF affiliate Honor Guards and IAFF Pipes and Drums are again invited to participate in the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Observance in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is an IAFF Memorial; all members of the Honor Guard and Pipes and Drums must be active members, active retirees, or alumni in good standing. IAFF Honor Guard Commander Bruce Brown will serve as the U.S. West Coast Coordinator; IAFF Honor Guard Deputy Commander Brent Jones will serve as the U.S. East Coast Coordinator; and IAFF Honor Guard Deputy Commander John Sobey will serve as the Canadian Coordinator. Coordinating the Pipes and Drums will be IAFF Pipe Major Hunter Schappaugh.

What to Bring

Any Honor Guard units attending the observance are asked to bring any state/local union flags, department flags, and harnesses and ceremonial pike poles/axes for use during the ceremony. Please mark your equipment to ensure that it is returned to you in the event a member of another local borrows it. Please do not bring any National Colors.

Ground Rules

To maintain the solemnity of the ceremony and to ensure the quality of the band, the IAFF has established some ground rules.

  • IAFF Membership: This is an IAFF Memorial; all members of the Honor Guard and Massed Band must be members in good standing. If you have a civilian or sworn public safety officer associated with your Honor Guard or band, they are welcome to play with the mass band on Tejon Street on Friday and Saturday night.
  • Registration: All individuals participating in the Memorial on Saturday afternoon must be registered for the event and must go to the Honor Guard Registration located at The Antlers Hotel to receive credentials. These credentials must be on your person to participate at practice, walkthroughs, and ceremony.
  • Alcohol: At no time during the Memorial weekend will open containers of alcohol be tolerated at Memorial Park.
  • Tent City: Tent City will remain on the athletic field within the assigned boundaries. It will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19. For security purposes, nothing should be left overnight. Camping in city parks is against city ordinance. Trailers and vehicles will not be allowed to park directly next to the upper field, in the street, or in the dirt lot below the Memorial. Due to the limited space in the parking lot, it may be necessary to limit the amount of space each unit may occupy. *If you need to leave a Tent overnight, please leave an after-hour contact number with Colorado Springs Local 5.
  • Buying and Selling: There will be no selling of anything during the ceremony, including the distribution of food. Please remember that we do not want anything to distract families or take away from the solemn tone of the Memorial.

Registration Procedures

All individuals participating in the Memorial on Saturday afternoon are required to register online prior to the event and must go to the Honor Guard Registration located at The Antlers Hotel to receive credentials. Please contact the respective IAFF Honor Guard or Pipe/Drum Coordinator below with any questions.

Scheduled Events

  • Mandatory Honor Guard Registration: The Antlers Hotel (Heritage Ballroom), 4 South Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs
    • Thursday, Sept. 19 / 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
    • Friday, Sept. 20 / 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Mandatory meeting: Thursday evening, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. (Memorial Site)
  • Mandatory practice: Friday, Sept. 20 at 9 a.m. and Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 a.m. (both days are mandatory).

Shuttles to the Memorial site begin at 7 a.m. both days from the lobby of The Antlers. Friday’s practice typically ends by 3 p.m.

Contacts

IAFF Pipes and Drums and Honor Guard Website

Information on IAFF member Pipes and Drums and Honor Guards is available here. This site includes every IAFF-affiliated Pipes and Drums, as well as IAFF-affiliated Honor Guards that serve state and provincial wide. Contact information is included as well as all music that is played during our Memorial service. If you need to update your band or Honor Guard information or if your band or Honor Guard is not included, please enter/update your information using the website.