Fallen Firefighters to Be Honored on October 16, 2011

The 30th Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend will be held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg on October 15-16, 2011. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration will honor 72 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2010. A bronze plaque containing their names will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located here on the National Fire Academy campus. Seventeen firefighters who died in previous years will also be honored. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which was established in 1981, will contain the names of more than 3,500 firefighters. Twenty-seven states experienced line-of-duty deaths in 2010. Deaths resulted from vehicle accidents while en route to or returning from emergency calls, building collapses, natural disaster response, falling, drowning, heart attacks, and burns/smoke inhalation. Three multiple fatality incidents accounted for six deaths. One multiple fatality occurred during a flashover at a structural fire; one incident resulted from an apparatus accident, and one involved a building collapse at a commercial structure fire. Illinois had the nation's greatest number of firefighter line-of-duty deaths in 2010 with 8, followed by New York and Pennsylvania with 7; and Kansas had 6. "Firefighters are called upon to face danger on a daily basis," said Chairman of the NFFF Board of Directors, Chief Dennis Compton. "In October, a grateful Nation will honor their dedication and remember their sacrifice. The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend brings their loved ones and the fire service together to let their families, coworkers, and friends know that they will never be forgotten."