On Monday, April 7th, leaders of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus presented 140 American flags flown over the U.S. Capitol to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). These flags represent each of the firefighters on the 2025 Roll of Honor, which includes 70 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2024 and 70 who died in previous years.
During the Ceremony, members of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus—including Congressman Mike Bost (IL-12), Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus; Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Dean of the Fire Caucus; and Congressman John Larson (CT-1), Co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus—presented the flags to the NFFF. Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Chief Donna Black; NFFF’s Vice-Chair of the Board and Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) Bill Webb; and NFFF’s CEO Victor Stagnaro participated in this important annual tradition, which took place in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill. House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben provided the Invocation and the Blessing of the Flags, while Alice Strickler, the mother of fallen firefighter Ian Thomas Strickler, recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Following the Ceremony, the flags were transferred to Memorial Park at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD, where they will be flown over the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. These same flags will play a key role in the upcoming 44th Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, as the firefighters on this year’s Roll of Honor will be honored by a grateful nation with Fire Hero Families from across the United States in attendance. The individual flags will be presented to each family at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service on Sunday, May 4th, in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The Memorial Service is open to the public and will be live-streamed beginning at 10:00 am ET. To access the livestream and learn how you can help honor our nation’s fallen heroes, visit National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.
