COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A busy park in Colorado Springs shut down for part of the day today. That’s because of the 2024 Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
The International Association of Firefighters honors the sacrifices made by their members who have given their lives in the line of duty.
Thousands of families and first responders mourn the loss of their loved ones here at Memorial Park. This year, three hundred and eight firefighters who died in the line of duty will have their names honored.
I talked with people who made the trip from near and far for this event. “It’s important to me that we honor him and other fallen heroes because they deserve our respect."
The wife of a retired firefighter who made the trip from Wyoming on Saturday tells me events like this are crucial to honor service members. That’s because she says they don’t want to brag about their work. Still though, she says they need to be recognized.
"People that don’t have a firefighters in their family, they’re not aware of the sacrifices that that families make as well as the firefighter and like I said they’re very humble"
So far, the names of nine thousand, five hundred and thirty two firefighters have been added to the memorial. It goes back decades, all the way to 1918. "Be aware of how they keep our community and our state and our country safe. That’s so important, it really is."
We came to you live from here just weeks ago for the balloon glow. Although the park is filled with lots of people like back then, today is a very different vibe here. Very somber as people remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Prop. 130 Would Increase Funding For Law Enforcement Across Colorado
In November, Colorado voters will decide whether to give $350 million in state funding to local law enforcement agencies across the state and a one-time $1 million payment to families of first responders killed in the line of duty.