Honoring Fallen Firefighters in Oregon, Aug. 21

The Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard and the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) extend an invitation to attend the State’s 14th annual Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 1 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the State’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial which is located on the campus of the Oregon Public Safety Academy at 4190 Aumsville Highway SE in Salem. Please note the event is held outside rain or shine. We are honored to have Kim Lightley of the United States Forest Service as our keynote speaker on the 25th anniversary of the deadly Storm King Mountain fire in Colorado that claimed the lives of many of her co-workers from the Prineville Interagency Hotshots.  About Kim Lightley – She is a Critical Incident Response Specialist with the United States Forest Service (USFS) assigned to the Washington Office of Fire and Aviation Management.  She was recognized in 2017 by the USFS through its Unsung Hero Award Program for her commitment to give back to the people who sacrifice so much fighting structure and wildland fires, and, even more so, to the survivors of those who never come home. Lightley survived the 1994 South Canyon Fire; nine of her crewmembers from the Prineville Interagency Hotshots and five others were overrun and killed.  Recognizing that her own experiences had impacted her life and recovery from this traumatic experience, Lightley has placed her daily emphasis on helping others within the wildfire community to prepare for—and recover from—tragic events.  She travels nationwide teaching Stress First Aid for Wildland Firefighters and You Will Not Stand Alone, assists in interventions for wildland fire critical incidents and promotes awareness of suicide prevention. Lightley is an active participant and organizer for the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and participates annually in the South Canyon Fire staff ride and Prineville Memorial Hotshot Run.  In addition to all of this, she can frequently be found on incident locations supporting agency and family survivors when a firefighter dies in the line of duty, and continues to provide vital support to survivors long after the event. The ceremony will include the reading of the roll call of fallen firefighters, taps, placement of wreaths, and a bell salute. DPSST Director Eriks Gabliks said “The Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial stands as a daily reminder of the sacrifices made by 169 men and women who died in the line of duty protecting our communities, airports and natural resources around our great state.  The memorial also allows us to honor a pledge made to the families of the fallen – we will never forget!  We are thankful that no names are being added to the Oregon memorial during this year’s ceremony which signifies that Oregon did not suffer a firefighter line of duty death in 2018.  Sadly we know that is not the case on a national level as the names of 120 career and volunteer firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2018 and previous years will be honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the National Fire Academy on October 5 and 6, 2019 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.” If you have any questions regarding the Memorial, please contact Julie Olsen, Fire Program Manager, at 503-378-2297 or by email at julie.olsen-fink@state.or.us
For More Information on Oregon and National Firefighter Memorials: Oregon Fallen Firefighter Memorial  https://www.oregon.gov/DPSST/FC/pages/fallenfirefightermemorial.aspx
National Fallen Firefighter Foundation – National memorial https://www.firehero.org/events/memorial-weekend/about/2019-roll-of-honor/ Those honored on the State memorial from Coos County include: Leland Roger Marshall, Coquille Volunteer Fire Department, 1969; Leland Roger Marshall, Coquille Volunteer Fire Department, 1969; Michael K. Maine, North Bay RFPD, N. Bend, 1982; Randall E. Carpenter, Coos Bay Fire and Rescue, 2002; Jeffrey E. Common, Coos Bay Fire and Rescue, 2002; Chuck Hanners, Coos Bay Fire and Rescue, 2002.