Fallen firefighters recognized for their sacrifice
Members of the Florida State Fire College Honor Guard Rifle Team are silhouetted as they practice firing a 21-gun salute during the Florida State Fire College Honor Guard Academy training at Highland Memorial Park in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. Firefighters from all across Florida are taking part in the Honor Guard Academy being held at the Florida State Fire College in Lowell this week in advance of the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service being held at the Fire College on Thursday. A statewide Honor Guard demonstration will also be held in downtown Ocala and on the Ocala Downtown Square on Wednesday night, where many departments from across the state that march in the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service, will demonstrate their attention to detail. The Wednesday night representation will also include Pipes and Drums sections, a few speeches and lots of pied pipers. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.
Members of the Florida State Fire College Honor Guard Rifle Team are silhouetted as they practice firing a 21-gun salute during the Florida State Fire College Honor Guard Academy training at Highland Memorial Park in Ocala on Tuesday, Nov. 16. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
Marion County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Pam Driggers coordinated many of the events. An instructor at the Honor Guard Academy, Driggers was busy this past week teaching classes in marching, flag folding, carrying flag poles, and bearing caskets. Driggers also headed up the honor walk (“Walk of Honor”) at the Ocala Downtown Square. Chaplain Joe LaCognata opened the celebration with a word of prayer. The event also featured several guest speakers, including Marion County Fire Rescue Chief James Banta.
The celebration typically draws more than 200 visitors from across Florida, including more than 50 different honor guards from multiple departments throughout the state, Driggers said.
Many visitors stay overnight at local hotels to take part in the area’s programs. Some participants come from as far away as New York, Driggers said, adding that most of them are from various parts of Florida.
“They’re from all four corners of the state of Florida, from the Panhandle, Panama City, Jacksonville, and the Keys,” Driggers said. “The memorial is for every firefighter in the state of Florida.”
Driggers has served for 28 years with Marion County Fire Rescue, and she’s been with the honor guard since 2001, so the annual event is special to her.
“I’ve done a lot of the funerals, so it’s personal for me regarding brotherhood and sisterhood,” she said. “You don’t have to be a blood relative to have a brother or a sister. We’re a big family.”
This year’s event kicked off with a prayer breakfast and solemn remembrance at the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, located at the Florida State Fire College in Lowell. A bronze statue of a “Firefighter at Rest,” created and dedicated in January 1992, stands in a courtyard where a large granite table bears the names of the fallen firefighters.
This year, 18 names were added to the list of fallen firefighters, bringing the statewide total to 218, said Mary Ann Benson, administrative assistant at the Florida State Fire College and coordinator of the memorial.
“It is a big honor for them to be honored here at the memorial,” she said. “The firemen put their lives on the line for their commitment, so they should be honored.”
State Fire Marshal and CFO Jimmy Patronis was this year’s keynote speaker, and Julius Halas, director of the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office, issued each family a memorial flag and medallion, Benson said.
Chief Mark Harper, bureau chief for the Florida State Fire College, noted that the statue and the annual ceremonies are held in honor of all the fallen firefighters in the state.
“We are always very humble and privileged to host this event,” Harper said. “It’s a very special time for the Florida Fire College and Florida Fire Service to come together to recognize every one of the fallen and to let the families know they will be not forgotten for their sacrifice.”
TO BE HONORED AT THE 2021 MEMORIAL SERVICE
1998
David L. Abernathy
Palm Beach Fire Rescue
2010
Walter “Pete” Gee
Fort Myers Shores Fire Protection & Recue Service District
2011
Jeremy J. Saunders
Orlando International Airport Fire Rescue
2016
Randall M. Donaldson, Jr.
Osceola County Fire Rescue
2018
William C. Donaldson
Sarasota County Fire Department
2019
Dwain S. Bradshaw
Escambia County Fire Rescue
Jeremy J. McKay
Clay County Fire Rescue
Scott R. Neumann
Martin County Fire Rescue
2020
Anthony C. “Tony” Christensen
City of Naples Fire Rescue
Donald DiPetrillo
Seminole Tribe of Florida Fire Rescue
James G. Gunter
Cape Coral Fire Department
Brian S. Smith
St. George Island Fire Department
Lloyd Losinger
Ocean City Wright Fire Control District
2021
Thomas M. Barber
Jacksonville Fire Rescue
Michelle Clore
Cape Coral Fire Department
Jimmy D. Riley, Jr.
Plant City Fire Rescue
Eric M. Siena
Orange County Fire Rescue
Herve Thomas
Monroe County Fire Rescue
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