Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial Service

After the cowardly attacks of September 11, 2001, much has been said about the bravery, sacrifice and courage of members of our emergency services and rightly so. It is especially difficult when the members of the emergency services give the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in the line of duty. Long before the September 11th attacks, several Westchester County firematic associations had already begun to acknowledge and memorialize those who gave the their lives in what is known as Line Of Duty Deaths (LODD).

Westchester County Association of Fire Chiefs’
President William Barnes Jr addresses the crowd.
He’s joined  by WCVFA President Robert Moon and
WCAFD’s Joe Iantorno (left) and DES Commissioner
John Cullen, County Executive Rob Astorino 
and Chaplain John Coyne (right). 

Each year the Westchester County Association of Fire Chiefs, the Westchester County Volunteer Firemen’s Association and the Westchester County Association of Fire Districts sponsor the Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service at the Richard A. Flynn Fire Training Center at 4 Dana Road in Valhalla. The fire service loses about 100 firefighters per year, with September 11th being the major exception, in LODD. It was mentioned in County Executive Rob Astorino’s speech, that Westchester was fortunate this year by not having had any firefighter deaths and not having to add any names to this Memorial Wall. We pray for the souls of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and their families as we honor their memory.