Fallen firefighters honoured in memorial service outside City Hall
Posted Sep 10, 2013 7:22 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The ringing of the bell, lying of the wreath, moments of silence and the sound of bagpipes once again highlighted the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service Tuesday afternoon.
One by one, the names of 32 Calgary firefighters who lost their lives protecting others were read, with hundreds of residents, fire officials and their families in attendance.
Fire stations will lower flags to half-mast until sunset to remember those who have passed away.
Of the 32 firefighters who were honoured, nine died in the line of duty, while 23 passed away due to presumptive illnesses.
Fire Chief Bruce Burrell was one of the speakers at the event and said it’s refreshing to see regular residents attend.
“We honour our firefighters for the sacrifices they made on behalf of the citizens of Calgary, so it’s always important to have members of the department here, very important to have members of the families here,” he said.
Burrell also focused on the study of presumptive illness over the last few decades.
“There’s very good science out there on a number of cancers that show that the incidence of cancer can be as high as five to six times greater as it is in the general population due to the toxins that firefighters are exposed to,” he said.
Leslie Badry was one of those victims, dying of esophageal cancer this March at the age of 74.
His son Graham said events like these help ease the grief.
“Certainly a humbling experience to know that the community will come out to support their public servants and very proud that my father was a firefighter,” Badry said.
In two weeks, fire officials will travel to Colorado Springs to etch the names of the last four Calgary firefighters who have passed away on the International Association of Firefighters Wall of Honour.
