Firefighter Memorial Day Honors Local Heroes

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Symbolizing the job done and eternal reward earned, the silver bell was rung 99 times Wednesday night, once for each of the DC Fire Fighters Association Local 36 members who have died in the line of duty from 1856 through 2007.  Since 1915, the Association has set aside May 29 of each year to “decorate the graves of deceased firefighters,” a date still recognized by DC Fire Department regulations and honored by Local 36 today as Fire Fighter Memorial Day. “With each name we read aloud today, a multitude of stories will remain silent,” said Local 36 President Ed Smith. “If we could, we would hear the stories of the families who lost a loved one, stories of fire fighters who still grieve, and stories of what could have been…We reaffirm our commitment to be the best fire fighters in the nation, protecting citizens, workers and visitors to our nation’s capital.” Service attendees included Cassandra Shields, whose oldest son, Louis J. Matthews, was mortally injured fighting a fire on Cherry Hill Rd in DC, and died on May 30, 1999.  Expressing gratitude for the help and support she received from the local, Shields attends the event every year “because we won’t forget.” - report/photo by Kathleen McKirchy; photos: (top right) DC Fire Department Sergeant and Local 36 member Stephen Acton rings the bell; (bottom left) DC Fire Fighter Fred Gordon reads the names of fallen fire fighters