Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend

Click here to find more ways to honor fallen firefighters during the national memorial weekend.

Every May, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, May 5, 2024, to honor Thousands of fallen firefighters.

The service begins at 10:00 am (ET) at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland and is open to the public. The names of the firefighters will be read, and their loved ones will receive an American flag that had been flown above the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the U.S. Capitol Dome. These firefighters also will be remembered in a special Candlelight Service on Saturday, May 4, 2023, at 7:30 pm (ET), where a bronze plaque bearing the names of the fallen will be officially added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The events are part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, where the U.S. Fire Service gathers together to honor the lives of the fallen and to comfort their surviving family, friends and fellow firefighters.

Leaders and members of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus launched the memorial weekend events with a presentation of 119 flags during a brief ceremony. The flags are flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of each fallen firefighter and will be displayed in the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel until they are presented to family members during Sunday’s Memorial Service. Congress passed legislation in 1992, creating the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), as the only national organization to honor all fallen firefighters and to offer support to their families.

“The permanence of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial is a constant testament to the ultimate sacrifice of our courageous fallen”, said Troy Markel, Chairman of the NFFF Board of Directors. “As we gather together to honor and to pay tribute to our fallen firefighters selfless devotion to service, Memorial Weekend is a time for us as a nation and a fire service to pause and reflect on their sacrifice and to honor and grieve for the loss their families, friends and fellow firefighters continue to endure.”

More than 5,000 people, including families, friends, members of Congress, government officials and firefighters are expected to attend Sunday’s memorial service. Firefighter Honor Guards and Pipe & Drum units from across the U.S. will participate in this national remembrance.
NFFF provides a live satellite feed and streaming of ceremonies along with video of events for downloading courtesy of VISTA Worldlink. Visit live.firehero.org to find Memorial Weekend streaming information, videos, photos, and satellite coordinates. A complete list of fallen firefighters, as well as a widget to display their information on your website is also available.

Events honoring fallen firefighters are hosted in communities across the country, including Bells Across America and Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters. Bells will be rung, and communities will light up landmarks, buildings, fire departments and homes to recognize the sacrifice of these fallen firefighters. For more information on these events, visit weekend.firehero.org.

Support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Through Workplace Giving

One of the most cost-efficient ways you can support NFFF is to donate to them via payroll deduction through your employer’s workplace giving program. As the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s workplace giving partner, America’s Charities can help your company implement a program centered on supporting their work – through workplace giving campaigns, employee fundraising, matching gifts, and other employee engagement and philanthropic initiatives. Don’t have a program? Click here to have your employer contact our team to get started.