Tennessee Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service to Take Place Sept. 10

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Fallen Firefighters Memorial annual service is set for 4 p.m. CDT on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Tennessee Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the campus of the Tennessee Fire Service & Codes Enforcement Training Academy (TFACA) in Bell Buckle.

The memorial commemorates Tennessee firefighters killed in the line of duty. The yearly ceremony includes a reading of the 226 names of the state’s fallen firefighters, dating back to the earliest recorded firefighter death in 1876, as well as a firefighter who tragically lost his life during calendar year 2016: Lieutenant Rodney Eddins of Memphis Fire Department.

“On September 10 we will honor Tennessee firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Tennessee State Fire Marshal and Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “We will recognize their selfless service and remember their courage. They will not be forgotten.”

The creation of the Tennessee Fallen Firefighters Memorial began in 2002 with the establishment of the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Committee which is comprised of individuals from various fire-service organizations including the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association, Tennessee Firemen's Association, Tennessee Fire Service & Codes Enforcement Academy, Tennessee Federation of Fire Chaplains, and the Tennessee Professional Firefighters Association.

In 2005, legislation was approved that dedicated one acre on the grounds of TFACA for a suitable memorial to honor Tennessee firefighters. A ribbon-cutting for the first phase of the memorial’s construction was held on Sept. 11, 2009 and was attended by approximately 700 dignitaries, family members, and emergency service personnel. The second phase of the memorial was dedicated on Sept. 10, 2011 and included the unveiling of a fallen firefighter statue created by sculptor and firefighter Scott Wise. A memorial comprised of a steel I-beam recovered from "Ground Zero" in New York City honoring the memory of fallen firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001 was later added.

The Tennessee Fallen Firefighters Memorial is supported and maintained through donations. 

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