Hundreds of uniformed firefighters from throughout California gathered in Sacramento’s Capitol Park for the California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony and Firefighter Procession on Oct. 16 to pay tribute to 31 firefighters killed in the line of duty this past year.

Among the 31 names added to the Memorial Wall were Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Ted Hall and Engineer Arnie Quinones, who lost their lives in the devastating 2009 Station Fire while attempting to save the lives of 50 men in their inmate camp. Nine firefighters who died from traumatic injuries or job-related illnesses in the past 12 months were honored, as well as 22 others from earlier years that were brought to the California Fire Foundation's attention in 2010.

Last year, three San Bernardino County Fire Department personnel were added to the wall: Engineer Eddie Keen, Paid-Call Fire Captain Vance Tomaselli, and Captain Vance Caswell of the Victorville Fire Department (now part of the county fire department).

To this date, the memorial includes the names of over 1,100 firefighters from throughout California who have lost their lives in the line of duty either from injury sustained while on duty or from disease attributed to the job.

These men – good friends to many and brothers to all firefighters – will be forever remembered on the Fallen Firefighter Memorial.

For more information on the non-profit California Fire Foundation and the memorial, please visit their website at cafirefoundation.org.

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