National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend: 226 to be Honored and Remembered

EMMITSBURG, Md. — The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will host the 43rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend (Memorial Weekend) on May 4-5, 2024 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

This year’s national tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years. The honorees will include the following California firefighters:

Assistant Chief Joshua Bischof, age 46, of the CAL FIRE — California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was killed on 8/6/2023 when two firefighting helicopters collided in Cabazon, CA. They were fighting the Broadway Wildland Fire, a vegetation fire sparked by a nearby structure fire. One helicopter was able to land safely, and the Bell 407 crashed. Captain Timothy Rodriguez and Contract Pilot Tony Sousa were also killed in the crash.

Firefighter Specialist Robert Brantley, age 50, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 1/5/2018, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Firefighter Russell Fagan, age 56, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 11/24/2018, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Captain Brian Falk, age 47, of the Kern County Fire Department, died on 07/14/2022 due to a heart attack while working an overtime shift at Station 23 in Fellows, CA. He responded to a residential structure fire during the morning of 07/13/2022.

Firefighter II Jacob “Jake” Flores, age 45, of the CAL FIRE — California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, died on 1/14/2022 due to complications of COVID-19.

Firefighter Joseph Gandara, age 63, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 11/3/2023 due to complications of cancer, to be deemed by the State of California to be a line of duty death.

Firefighter II Daniel Geary, age 38, of the CAL FIRE — California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, died on 7/5/2018, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Fire Captain Scott Gomes, age 53, of the CAL FIRE — California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, died on 11/17/2022, due to complications of liver and throat cancer, deemed the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Captain William Lee Knott, age 65, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 11/29/2019, due to complications of cancer deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Firefighter Specialist Samuel Neubauer, age 47, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 3/2/2020, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Captain Manuel Ramos, age 62, died on 9/8/2019, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Captain Kenneth Renz, age 58, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 4/29/2023, due to complications of cancer, to be deemed by the State of California to be a line of duty death.

Captain Timothy Rodriguez, age 44, of the CAL FIRE — California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was killed on 8/6/2023 when two firefighting helicopters collided in Cabazon, CA. They were fighting the Broadway Wildland Fire, a vegetation fire sparked by a nearby structure fire. One helicopter was able to land safely, and the Bell 407 crashed. Assistant Chief Josh Bischof and Contract Pilot Tony Sousa were also killed in the crash.

Contract Pilot Tony Sousa, age 55, of Air Shasta Rotor & Wing Inc., was killed on 8/6/2023 when two firefighting helicopters collided in Cabazon, CA. They were fighting the Broadway Wildland Fire, a vegetation fire sparked by a nearby structure fire. One helicopter was able to land safely, and the Bell 407 crashed. Assistant Chief Josh Bischof and Captain Timothy Rodriguez were also killed in the crash.

Battalion Chief Mark Tolbert, age 60, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, died on 5/19/2019, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of California to be a line-of-duty death.

Firefighter/Paramedic Andrew “Andy” Valenta, age 33, of the Vista Fire Department, died on 4/25/2021 due to complications of metastatic melanoma.

Detailed information about each of the 226 firefighters being memorialized can be found on the 2024 Roll of Honor.

“National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is a time for our nation to pause and reflect on the heroic efforts and selfless service of the fallen firefighters we are paying tribute to this year,” said NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro. “We will always remember the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of each of these 226 heroes—and their families.”

There are two events open to the public at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) during Memorial Weekend.

• The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service is on May 4 at 7:30 pm ET and will be hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department.
• The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is on May 5 at 10:00 am ET and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm.

Fire service and government leaders are scheduled to address the thousands of attendees at the Memorial Service on Sunday, May 5. The NFFF will live stream both events on the NFFF’s website (firehero.org), YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

There are additional events during Memorial Weekend provided exclusively for the families and fire departments of honored firefighters. These include small group sessions and other activities throughout Friday and Saturday; they are open to the families and coworkers of newly honored and previously honored firefighters.

Schedule

Saturday, May 4
Candlelight Service: 4:30–6 p.m. Streaming begins at 4 p.m.

Sunday, May 5
Memorial Service: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Streaming begins at 6:30 a.m.

The NFFF will provide live satellite feeds of both events. Technical support is being provided by VISTA Worldlink, Comcast Beltway, and INTELSAT. Satellite coordinates can be found at live.firehero.org. Images from the 2023 Memorial Weekend are here.

The event takes place at National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park | National Emergency Training Center (NETC), 16835 S. Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727

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How Communities Can Participate

Those not attending Memorial Weekend in person can also pay tribute to this year’s honored firefighters. All can participate in Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters (May 1 – 5) by lighting their homes, businesses, landmarks, or fire departments with red lights. Other ways to remember include Bells Across America, Sound the Sirens, and by signing a virtual Remembrance Banner.

In addition, the American flag will be lowered to half-staff on all Federal buildings on Sunday, May 5. The public is also encouraged to lower their American flags that day to recognize the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Social Media: #FireHero2024 #NFFF | Website: weekend.firehero.org