Candlelight vigil held to honor fallen firefighters in Missouri
KINGDOM CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A candlelight vigil was held Saturday at 7 p.m. to honor Missouri firefighters who died in the line of service.
A large crowd gathered for the vigil, which was held at the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri in Kingdom City.
State Fire Marshal Tim Bean was in attendance along with other leaders from the Firefighter Association of Missouri. Family, friends and fellow firefighters were also at the vigil honoring those who died.
Bean says it's important to remember those firefighters service, even after they have died.
"When these, you know, catastrophic events happen where one loses their life, we don't want to forget the service and sacrifice they give to our state so that’s why this memorial and this service is very important,” Bean said.
Attendees at the vigil heard emotional speeches and watched a tribute slideshow for the fallen and emotions were high. This is something the chairman of the Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation, Keith Smith said is not uncommon.
“Emotions are all over the place. It triggers a lot of different things so that’s why we’ve brought Kleenex and lots of hugs," Smith said.
This is the 19th candlelight vigil held for fallen firefighters of Missouri.
Another memorial will be held Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the same location. Eight Missouri firefighters names will be added to the memorial wall, which displays the names of firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Other fallen Missouri firefighters will also be honored at the memorial Sunday.
The memorials come after Gov. Mike Parson declared Oct. 8 Fire Service Memorial Day in Missouri.
