By FireRescue1 staff
EMMITSBURG, Md. — “America’s Tribute to Fallen Firefighters,” a one-hour video tribute produced by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), will premiere this weekend. The video salute to fallen firefighters features footage from the ceremonial events from this year’s NFFF 40th Anniversary Memorial Weekend.
Hosted by CBS News Anchor Norah O’Donnell, the program recognizes heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty serving their communities and their country. Eighty-seven firefighters died in the line of duty in 2020. Eighty-two firefighters died in 2019. Forty-six firefighters who died in the line of duty in previous years are also honored. The names of those 215 firefighters were dedicated at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial site in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on Oct. 3, where they will be forever recognized for their service.
[Read next: ‘It’s good to be back’: NFFF Memorial Weekend again honors fallen firefighters]
Chief Ron Siarnicki, executive director for the NFFF, said the concept for the video was developed as a way to continue to honor our nation’s fallen firefighters: “The tribute was very well appreciated by the families and the coworkers of the individuals we honored. As a result, we decided to continue the new format of ‘Never Forgetting’ the fallen, in addition to the annual Memorial Service. I am very appreciative of the team that worked to create this wonderful memorial video as a way of honoring the sacrifices each honoree made in service to their community. I encourage the entire fire service community to take the time to watch this National Tribute in honor of the fallen.”
America’s Tribute to Fallen Firefighters airs on Sunday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the NFFF Facebook Channel and on YouTube at NFFFTV.
Watch the preview here: