International Association of Fire Fighters holds memorial to honor the fallen

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) will hold a massive memorial to honor firefighters that died in the line of duty on September 17, 2022, starting at 11 a.m.

This year’s ceremony honors the names of 469 firefighters the IAFF was unable to memorialize in person in 2021 and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony honors all line of duty deaths, and the wall includes the names of those who died on the scene or succumbed to occupational illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and suicide. 

So far, the names of 8,652 firefighters - dating back to 1918 - have been added to the Memorial Wall of Honor, a series of polished granite stones at Memorial Park in the shadow of Pikes Peak, according to the IAFF.

The memorial will be live-streamed on the IAFF youtube page here.