Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley, right, and Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department president Jay Johnson salute after placing a wreath at the Fallen Firefighters Memorial Oct. 13 at Ivy Hill Cemetery.
Alexandria’s fallen firefighters and EMS personnel were remembered by members of the city’s first responder and law enforcement agencies at a memorial service and wreath laying ceremony Oct. 13 at Ivy Hill Cemetery as part of the annual National Fire Prevention Week ceremonies.
The ceremony, which dates back to 1856, honors those who have died in the line of duty and also marks the passing of members of the department who have died during the preceding 12 months.
“The Alexandria fire department will always honor our employees, both those that are here and those that have departed,” said Fire and EMS Chief Corey Smedley. “Today for me is about honor and remembrance.”
Fire Chief Corey Smedley delivers remarks at the wreath laying ceremony for fallen firefighters Oct. 13 at Ivy Hill Cemetery.
Held in front of the Fallen Firefighters Memorial obelisk, the centerpiece of the ceremony is the Roll Call of the Fallen, a reading of the names of fire safety and EMS career and volunteer personnel who have died in the line of duty. Following the Roll Call, Chief Smedley and Volunteer Fire Department President Jay Johnson placed a wreath at the memorial to honor the fallen firefighters.
Sheriff Sean Casey, Mayor Justin Wilson and other city officials were in attendance to pay homage to Alexandria’s fallen fire department first responders. Victor Stagnaro, Chief Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, delivered the keynote remarks.
“This ceremony remembers everyone who wears a uniform or who has ever worn a uniform,” Stagnaro said. “Not all make it home from their tour of duty and it is a tribute to the city of Alexandria that they are remembered.”
Stagnaro addressed the families of the fallen, calling them heroes.
“While the firefighters are called heroes, in my book so are the families,” Stagnaro said. “Whether your loved one died in the last year or 25 years ago, please know that the fire service community stands by your side to honor the memory of your loved one and will continue to do so in the days and years to come.”
Added Wilson, “Our firefighters every day do the unspeakable – they place their lives at risk to protect others. We do not minimize the sacrifice that they make for the safety of the people of our community.”