National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend October 2-3, 1999
The annual national memorial services honoring America`s fallen firefighters will take place in Emmitsburg, Maryland, October 2-3, 1999. Sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the event will feature a memorial service on October 3 at the site of the national monument on the National Fire Academy campus.
On October 2, survivors and coworkers of the firefighters who died in the line of duty during 1998 will attend private family day activities culminating with a sunset candlelight service, which will be open to the public.
In a related matter, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has announced that it will use the federal grant of $403,000 it received from the Department of Justice`s Bureau of Justice Assistance`s Public Safety Officers` Benefits program to assist fire departments in handling line-of-duty losses, including a peer support network for chiefs, expected to be in operation sometime this year. The Foundation will also develop and provide training programs and materials on how to deal with line-of-duty deaths for senior fire department managers and give greater support to firefighters` survivors. The program and materials are expected to be completed by Spring 1999 and will be made available nationwide. The Foundation has initiated a series of focus group meetings with volunteer and career fire officers and families of fallen firefighters. n
