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.

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Posted November 18, 2021 | By Marian Rizzo

Every year at this time, fallen firefighters are recognized for their sacrifices during an annual get- together that draws hundreds of firefighters, rescue personnel, and families of fallen firefighters from throughout the state of Florida to Marion County. The annual event includes special presentations by color guards and honor guards, including a concert of bagpipes and drums.

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