Disclaimer:  The International Association of Fire Fighter (IAFF) is not affiliated in any way with Sierra Madre News Net.  The IAFF bears no responsibility for the content of these pages. Any IAFF information provided herein is published without explicit permission of the IAFF.  Pages linked to from these Sierra Madre News Net pages that are not a part of the Sierra Madre News Net website are the sole responsibility of their publishers.

IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service, 2002

Colorado Springs, CO, Sept. 21

Back to News Net's IAFF 2002 main page

 

Photos/videos from Memorial Service

List of Fallen Firefighters Honored

The Last Alarm, dedicated to children of the fallen

Lt. John Napolitano, FDNY, deceased

Interview with Lt. John E. Coburn, Jr., IAFF Local 366, Matteson, IL

IAFF website

IAFF Memorial website

Fire Safety Resource Directory, USFA site, links to fire safety education

IAFF Local 386, Matteson IL

Sparky the Fire Dog, NFPA site, kids learn about fire safety

 

The following poem appears on a marble memorial wall at the IAFF Fallen Firefighter's memorial in Colorado Springs

 

The Last Alarm, by Jim Martinez,

Vice President, IAFF 7th District

Dedicated to the children of fallen firefighters

 

My father was a fireman, he drove a big red truck

and when he'd go to work each night, he'd say "Mother, wish me luck"

 

Then Dad would not come home again, till sometime the next day

but the thing that bothered me the most, was the things some folks would say.

 

A fireman's life is easy, he eats and sleeps and plays.

And sometimes he doesn't fight a fire for days and days and days.

 

When I first heard these comments, I was too young to understand

'cause I knew when people had trouble Dad was there to lend a hand.

 

Then my father went to work one day, and he kissed us all good-by,

but little did we realize, that night, we all would cry.

 

My father gave his life that night, when the floor gave way below.

And I wondered why he'd risk his life, for someone he didn't know.

 

But now I realize, the greatest gift a man can give

is to lay his life upon the line so that someone else might live.

 

So as we go from day to day and we pray to God above,

say a prayer for your local fireman, he may save the ones you love.

 

 

 

Copyright © 1998 - 2011 by The Coburn Group, Sierra Madre. All logos, trademarks or product names mentioned or displayed herein are the property of their respective owners. All photographs and videos on this site Copyright 1998 - 2011, by Bill Coburn, Sierra Madre, CA unless otherwise noted.  Any reference to the City of Sierra Madre or Sierra Madre applies to the community of Sierra Madre and not the city government. The City of Sierra Madre, California government is not affiliated with Sierra Madre News.Net at this time. Any city government information provided herein has been previously published for public dissemination and is shown here as a public service of Sierra Madre News.Net without explicit permission of the government of the City of Sierra Madre.