IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger, along with family and friends, honored the lives of 87 fire fighters who died in the line of duty at the 25th IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial service in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Hundreds of family members and nearly 900 members of IAFF Honor Guards and Pipe and Drum corps assembled September 17 for the annual memorial service. The service began with the rolling thunder of more than 400 riders with the IAFF Motorcycle Group (IAFF-MG) and the Wind & Fire Motorcycle Club joining a procession of more than 50 fire apparatus. President Schaitberger greeted them all as they proceeded past the memorial site.

President Schaitberger also reflected on the fire fighters who perished 10 years ago in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"In 2002, we etched every single name of our September 11 fallen on those great walls behind me, one at a time, letter by letter, with love and dignity because in this profession where loss is a part of what we all call the job, it is our duty to honor and reflect on each loss, each life, one at a time," he said. "And we did that for every fire fighter who perished on 9/11, just as we have come here today to honor and celebrate 87 times the individual lives and stories of our brothers and sisters we lost over this past year."

Schaitberger addressed nearly 5,000 people in attendance at the Memorial, among them families and friends of the fallen, their brothers and sisters, members of the IAFF and the IAFF Executive Board.

The elaborate though somber ceremony began as President Schaitberger and IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Tommy Miller laid a wreath at the Wall of Honor, where earlier hundreds of family members had etched the names of their loved ones on paper.

Colorado Springs Local 5 President Jeremy Kroto welcomed those in attendance and said he shared in the grief what they felt because one of Local 5’s own – Pamela J. Butler – was also being added to the Wall of Honor.

“With the loss of our Local 5 sister, we are once again reminded of the emotional toll that comes with placing a member of your own Local on the wall,” Kroto said.

Legendary General Secretary-Treasurer Vinnie Bollon, who died March 28, was added to the Wall of Honor. In a touching moment his widow, Linda, was presented with the IAFF flag before President Schaitberger presented her with the IAFF Medal of Honor.

In his remarks, President Schaitberger said budget cuts are making the fire service increasingly dangerous, and he encouraged everyone to renew their commitment to safety on the job. "I believe it is now up to each of us to dedicate our lives to the safety and well-being of those who are living and working on the frontlines right now. Our duty as leaders and members of our great union is to make this promise to each other – that the legacy of each of the 87 we honor today should be that we do everything within our power to make sure we don’t have to come together like this anymore," he said.

"There are those who stand with us during ceremonies much like this one, who like to sing the praises of the work our fallen did while on this Earth, and who then go back to their offices and with no more consideration than they give to any other line in a budget are making decisions that put our members’ lives and the communities they serve more at risk,” Schaitberger said. “It is in the face of this challenge that we must pull together as one big family like never before to make sure all of those standing at attention in their dress blues here today can go home safely at the end of their shift and live out the remaining years of their lives after a career of protecting others. That is our task. That is our duty."