Firefighters from across the state gathered Friday morning to remember those who died in the line of duty.
At the Indiana Fallen Fire Fighters Annual Remembrance, the names of a dozen firefighters were read aloud and will be added to a memorial at the statehouse.
Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief Howard Stahl says the annual remembrance is an important tradition for the fire service.
“We develop colloquial phrases that help keep us grounded and motivate us to perform acts of bravery when we are called to service. One of those phrases is that we will never forget,” Stahl says. “To us, it brings comfort when we face the unknown. That our legacy, heroism and sacrifice will not go unnoticed.”
One of those honored was Montgomery volunteer firefighter Kendall Murphy. Murphy was killed last November when another firefighter hit him while driving a fire truck to the scene of an accident.
Murphy’s father, Dwayne Murphy, is also assistant chief of the Montgomery Volunteer Fire Department. Dwayne Murphy says experiencing a line of duty death brings a department closer together.
“We now realize that each and every run is a run in which one of us may not return from,” Murphy says. “Our families have grown closer to each other, and we don’t take anything for granted.”
Several of the firefighters added to the memorial died more than a century ago. Their names were found through research of Indianapolis Fire Department history.
