FALLEN FIRE FIGHTERS MEMORIAL SERVICE TO BE HELD SEPT. 17

Hundreds of fire fighters and family members gather to remember 86 fallen fire fighters being honored by International Association of Fire Fighters at annual ceremony in Colorado Springs

1:00PM MST SATURDAY, September 17, 2005
 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Memorial Park,
 Colorado Springs, Colorado
(located at the corner of Pikes Peak and Hancock Avenues)

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) will honor 86 fallen members of the union from the United States and Canada at 1:00PM MST Saturday, September 17, as hundreds of fire fighters and family members gather in Colorado Springs for the 19th Annual IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Ceremony in Memorial Park.

“This ceremony is a fitting and respectful tribute to the 86 brave souls who gave their lives in the name of public service over the past year,” says Harold Schaitberger, general president of the 270,000-member IAFF. “This solemn occasion offers families, friends and colleagues of our honorees an opportunity to remember and honor their sacrifice and service to humanity.”

The ceremony features fire fighter pipes and drums, honor guards, music, and celebratory comments, and is designed to be an uplifting event. This year’s memorial service will honor fire fighters killed or reported as deaths in the line of duty between June 2004 and June 2005.

The mission of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, which is located in the shadow of Pike’s Peak, is to honor the sacrifice made by professional fire fighters and paramedics who have given their lives so others might live. Since its creation in 1976, the names of the 1,775 fallen fire fighters have been engraved into the Wall of Honor as part of the memorial. The host local, Colorado Springs Local 5, is one of the founding 18 affiliates chartered by the IAFF on February 28, 1918.

MEDIA: IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger and colleagues, friends and family of the honorees can discuss the lives and sacrifices made by this group of America’s Bravest. Photos of the ceremony and the honorees are available upon request. A full list of this year’s members of the Wall of Honor is enclosed.

The IAFF, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the 12th largest union among the 54 national unions that makeup the AFL-CIO, representing more than 270,000 professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population. More than 2,900 affiliates protect nearly 6,000 communities in Canada and in every state in the U.S. For more information visit www.iaff.org .

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