(Bagpipes and drums playing)
Each year
we gather in front of this memorial to pause, reflect,
and remember.
The Honor Guard will call us to attention,
and the names of Seattle's fallen will be read aloud.
Herman Larsen, 1891.
- As much as firefighters and paramedics love their work,
it comes with the all too real risk
of injuries, getting cancer, PTSD,
and so many other traumas that we face.
- Captain Andrew G. Beattie
- Yet, despite the risks,
firefighters and paramedics show up each shift,
ready to serve with compassion and courage to this community.
- Captain Harold W. Webb
- They were coworkers and friends.
They were also parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents.
- Lieutenant Walter D. Kilgore
- The very names of each of the 55 members that spans all ranks,
forever etched into this memorial, so that we may honor
and never forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
- For the families of fallen firefighters.
I want you to know that they will be remembered by many.
Some that you will know and some that you will not.
(Bagpipes and drums playing, Amazing Grace) - James T. Brown
- The fire service today is ever changing
but is steeped in traditions 200 years old.
One such tradition is the sound of a bell.
(Sound of a bell ringing)
When a firefighter has died in the line of duty
paying the supreme sacrifice, it was the mournful toll
of the bell that solemnly announced the comrades passing.
(Sound of a bell ringing) A special signal of five rings
four times each,
represents the end of our comrades duties,
and that they will be returning to quarters.
- Our remembrance will extend into the evening,
where we will light the night in red and turn on the emergency lights.
To help us remember, and reflect, and never forget.
(Bagpipes and drums playing, Amazing Grace)