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Directory NH Fallen Firefighters Memorial 
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New Hampshire Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service |
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2010 Firefighter Memorial ServiceBy Rick MasonOctober 10, 2010 marked the fourth annual Firefighter Memorial Day as passed by a legislative act in 2007, sponsored by Representatives Weare (retired Captain, Portsmouth Fire Department) and John DeJoie (Concord Firefighter). This year’s service, attended by nearly 250 fire service personnel, friends and family gathered at the New Hampshire Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial on the grounds of the New Hampshire Fire Academy. This year’s Memorial Service featured remarks from Governor John Lynch, Safety Commissioner John Barthelmes, Manchester Firefighter Andre Biron, and the keynote was Ronald J. Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation, Emmitsburg Maryland. Concord Fire Chief Dan Andrus did an outstanding job as master of ceremonies for the Service. This year was a record for the number of honor guards that participated along with the Professional Firefighter’s Pipes and Drums. Thanks to Concord Captain
Scott Anstey for serving as Honor Guard Commander, Bedford Firefighter Erik Thomas as Deputy Commander, Derry Firefighter Steve Hussey as Honor We were honored with Fire Chief Mike Buxton, Nashua Fire-Rescue (Retired) tolling the bell this year. Thanks to the numerous others who made this event a success! |
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Guard Commander Ex-Officio, and Hooksett Firefighter Earl Lincoln Memorial Chairman.
Memorial Service Address Ronald J. Siarnicki October 10, 2010 |
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First, let me start by thanking all of you for extending an invitation for me to attend your Memorial Service and speak to all of you. I would like to commend everyone who was involved in the creation of this beautiful memorial site and the service today here at your training academy. You have put forward an outstanding effort and a job well done by all who made it possible. It truly has captured the essence of the fire service and the commitment each of the individuals listed here have made to the state of New Hampshire and their respective communities. It is an honorable site that is filled with fire service tradition representing the courage of firefighters everywhere. For many of the family, friends and loved ones here this
However, for all emergency responders who have weathered the experience of surrendering responsibility for their very survival into the hands of another, these words will forever transcend any dictionary description. This first fire service concept, “HONOR” stands as the cornerstone for all that we do. I believe Andrew Carnage provided the best prospectus on the concept of honor when he said: “No amount of ability is of the slightest worth without honor.” This statement is symbolic in so many of our fire service actions. It is the basis of the fire service’s core values. It is foremost witnessed in the way we respect each other. How we choose to respect our officers, how we demonstrate our respect for the citizens we serve, and how we respect the basic code of conduct we have chosen to govern ourselves by. The second concept “TRADITION” helps us to understand who we are. It was once stated that: “All of what we have become is a gift of those who have gone before us.” In the fire service, more than any other calling I know, our traditions are so much of what we have become. I am sure that those who have gone before us are proud that we have chosen to continue their traditions -- to uphold their long history of service through our actions. There is so much that we can learn from the past and, just as important, ensure there is opportunity to learn from the future. And finally the last concept “COURAGE.” For, no cause is as noble as saving another’s life. No sacrifice is greater than giving your own to do it. That’s what firefighters do; perform courageously when ever they are called into action. Something that usually happens during the everyday routine calls when not everyone who responds is expecting it. No matter WHERE firefighters might be, while serving their communities they are thinking of the job at hand and not what fate would hold for them. This being the true essence of the courage that each firefighter possesses as they commit themselves to providing protection to their neighbors.
There is one underlining difference between you and I; and the special people whom are listed on this memorial. The fact that they faced that courage – and in that moment, they gave all they could give and fate exacted that ultimate price to fulfill their task at hand. These are individuals who were our family members, our co-workers and our friends. For many of us, this kinship is not so much related in blood, as related in our shared experiences of life. |
Much like veterans of war, it is difficult for us to find fitting words to explain the sense of fraternity and family that develops between people who battle the ravages of fire, or risk their safety and well-being to rescue the sick and I say to you today -- as survivors, -- as families and friends of these heroes -- no explanation is necessary…you live with this – you understand too. It comes natural to all of us in the fire service. It is the basis of our very being. General William Tecumseh Sherman once defined courage as “a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it.” I believe this definition withstands the true test for our nation’s fire service. Each of the individuals who we recognized today knew the dangers they faced. Along with each of their families, they accepted that risk. They recognized the hazards and they trained to overcome them. Still, no matter how well we train, we live with the knowledge that as we strive to manage risk, we will never control it…Yet each day, firefighters and emergency medical provider’s face that challenge and risk just the same. Succumbing to the risks that all members of our calling face was not an act of courage for the heroes whose names are forever etched into our memorial markers…NO…their true act of courage was rising -- without question -- to meet that challenge every single day of their life. It is that special loyalty to our community that ushers that commitment. We at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation understand these factors very well, for we see each and every one of the losses that occur yearly within the American Fire Service. Losses that each equate to a real person who has left behind family members, co-workers and friends who must survive without their loved one. That is the reason that the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation was created and why I am so enthused to be involved with such an honorable and worthy endeavor. An organization that is committed to ensuring our fire service heroes are never forgotten and their survivors are assisted in rebuilding their lives. A congressional mandate placed upon the foundation in 1992 when it was created by the United States Congress to carry out its vital work and efforts to address the issues that result when a Line of Duty Death occurs anywhere in the United States Through the work of the Foundation, I have been traveling a lot around this wonderful Nation of ours and must say, that the American Fire Service has truly unified itself and bonded more closely especially since the tragic occurrences of September 11, 2001. And because of that, we as a fire service and a nation are stronger and more committed to face whatever challenges that may come our way. However, that continues to increase the risks placed on the Fire Service, as should be, our increasing importance to the first line of defense of our communities to face all of the threats that are present in the world today. A position of critical importance to our homeland security and one that bring new concerns and questions related to the safety, well being and most of all the survivability of our Nations First Responders. Especially during these very trying economic times. We cannot continue to do more with less. But, find a balance between resources and response. Firefighters are committed individuals who go where others will not and need everyone’s support to do so. That is why I am convinced that dignity and compassion run deep in our firefighting family. When tragedy strikes the fire service – our family grows a little closer. And, most importantly, our family members are always there when one of its own is in need or in trouble. Both before and after a line of duty death occurs. “We will always remember and thank our fire service heroes.” Ladies and Gentleman, again Thank You for having me here today and I know that each of these individuals honored on this memorial will forever remain in our hearts. Be safe in your travels. God Bless each of our fallen heroes, their families and all of you. |
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Special Thanks and AcknowledgementsProfessional Firefighters of New HampshireNew Hampshire Association of Fire ChiefsNew Hampshire State Firemen’s AssociationNew Hampshire Fire Prevention SocietyFire Instructors and Officers Association
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Good Afternoon.
afternoon, there is a basic understanding of what these three words mean. I speak of:
When speaking on the subject of courage, Teddy Roosevelt once said: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, then to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much, nor suffer much, because they exist in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” Roosevelt’s words explain why we honor the courage and heroics in our ranks, courage that lives in the hearts of each and every firefighter we know, where it remains undiscovered, until that moment of necessity.
injured. Whenever I ask firefighters and emergency medical personnel to explain what it is that fosters this sense of camaraderie, like veterans who have served in the trenches, the usual response is, “I can’t explain it, but you’ve been there -- you understand.”
and its territories.EMAIL NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE FIREMEN'S ASSOCIATION
POST OFFICE BOX 617
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE 03302
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