Sunday, September 8 marks the observation of the 15th Annual Canadian Firefighters’ National Memorial Day to honour all firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
To honour these firefighters, the flags at all City of Ottawa sites will be flown at half-mast on Sunday, September 8 from sunrise until sunset to commemorate these courageous and committed men and women.
A three-day firefighters cycling ride from Hamilton to Ottawa covered 575 kilometres to bring over 50 firefighters — including members from Hamilton, Mississauga, Whitby, Kingston, Ottawa, and Stephenville, Nfld — to Ottawa to commemorate their fallen partners. The ride was led by the Toronto Professional Firefighters Celtic Society.
The ride is held to raise funds and awareness for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation (CFFF), which hosts the Canadian Firefighters Annual Memorial Ceremony (www.cfff.ca) that Honours, Remembers and Supports the families of firefighters whose lives were lost in the line of duty. The goal is to raise $15,000 for the CFFF.
The 2019 Memorial Service will take place on Sunday at 10:30 am at Lebreton Flats. The Honourary Host for the 2019 ceremony will be the Combined Fire Services of Manitoba. The ceremony will be available live on the CFFF Facebook page here.
This year, ninety names have been etched on the Memorial Wall, adding to the 1411 names already included of fallen firefighters from across Canada and the territories with some dating back to the mid-1800’s.
Editor’s Note: On Sunday, we ask you to remember our fallen firefighters and those still on duty who every day put their lives on the line to save lives and property. We have a lot to thank for our local firefighters both volunteer and full-time in Stittsville as they continue to respond to emergency situations and keep us safe.