Hoyer Remarks at 34th Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) delivered remarks at the 34th Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland. President Barack Obama served as the keynote speaker. The memorial service honored the lives of 84 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2014 and three who died in previous years. The national tribute was a part of a two-day memorial weekend sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

"Last month, Pope Francis visited Ground Zero in New York and met with families of the fallen firefighters and other first responders who perished on September 11, 2001.

"Afterward, he said: ‘…those family members showed me the other face of this attack, the other face of their grief: the power of love and remembrance.  A remembrance that does not leave us empty and withdrawn.  The names of so many loved ones are written around the towers' footprints.  We can see them, we can touch them, and we can never forget them.'

"Here in Emmitsburg, we inscribe the names of loved ones and heroes.

"It is a place where we can come to remember those who fell in service to our communities and our country.

"It is a place where all of us can find solace and begin to fill those empty spaces in our hearts through that ‘power of love and remembrance' of which Pope Francis spoke. 

"Today, we will add 87 names to this memorial.

"And each one of those names will signify not only a fallen hero but a family that is grieving and a community that has suffered a loss.

"Each of the names represents a life, a story, a set of relationships, and a set of values.

"And they are all different, reflecting the wonderful diversity of our nation.

"But all of these fallen heroes share in common the value of service above self. 

"And, in much the same way, every family here today paying tribute to a lost loved-one has a different story.

"But all are here with the common cause of making sure that their loved ones are remembered and that our nation is doing all it can to prevent other families from experiencing the same grief.

"This is a cause I have made a cornerstone of my work in Congress.

"As co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I'm proud to fight for FIRE and SAFER Grants as well as federal initiatives to hire more firefighters in Maryland and across the country, provide resources to the families of the fallen, and help reduce heart attacks among those serving on the fire line.

"It continues to be an honor and a privilege to work closely with the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the volunteer firefighters and fire chiefs from Maryland's Fifth District and across America to advance these goals.

"Together, we've secured funding to combat suicide among firefighters, which, tragically, claims dozens of lives each year.

"And we've worked to provide support for research into cancers that disproportionately affect those in the fire services. 

"All of us are here today because we have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of standing up for America's firefighters and their families.

"As we inscribe their names here, including the names of Lieutenant James Bethea of Baltimore City and Robert Fogle of Baltimore County, let us add our names to the register of those who will continue the work of honoring them, remembering them, and making sure the fires service brothers and sisters they leave behind, and who are still with us, have the resources they need to do their jobs well and do them safely.

"And let us never forget the words of the firefighter's prayer: ‘When I'm called to duty, God,  wherever flames may rage, give me strength to save some life, whatever be its age. …if, according to my fate, I am to lose my life, please bless with your protecting hand, my children and my wife.'

"For the husbands and wives, sons and daughters, parents and siblings, and communities of our fallen heroes – let us be that ‘protecting hand.'

"Let us be their strength and their comfort.

"And let us channel that ‘power of love and remembrance' of which Pope Francis spoke, and for which we have dedicated this sacred place.

"May God bless our fire service heroes."