NEWS RELEASES City of Knoxville, Tennessee Madeline Rogero, Mayor FOLLOW THE MAYOR www.facebook.com/mayorrogero www.twitter.com/mayorrogero

KFD Holds Memorial Service for Fallen Firefighters

October 9, 2012 - The Knoxville Fire Department held its annual Memorial Service Honoring Fallen Firefighters Tuesday at the KFD's Headquarters Fire Station in downtown Knoxville. The annual ceremony honored the 24 KFD firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty since 1885 and the 12 retired firefighters who have died since the last memorial service. As part of the ceremony, attended by active and retired firefighters and family and friends of those being honored, a bell tolled 36 times - once for each of the fallen firefighters. At the same time - as each fallen firefighter's name was read by Fire Chief Stan Sharp and the bell tolled - a single red rose was placed into a gold-colored vase bearing the department's insignia.

Mayor Madeline Rogero and Chief Sharp spoke at the ceremony and a wreath was placed at the firefighter's statue in Firefighter Memorial Park in front of the station. Members of KFD who have died in the line of duty since 1885: Captain Robert L. "Buddy" Blankenship Fred Everett Boatman Chief Sam B. Boyd John. J. Dunn J.C. Flenniken Michael A. Fletcher Captain Howard O. Gray Captain William F. Maxey Captain Tom. F. Heagerty Henry Clay Lawless James H. May Louie A. McCaughan Captain Henry "Pat" Mitchell Raymond H. "Shorty" Nash Captain John O. "Slim" Pickens William Scott Popejoy, Jr. William C. Reed Lloyd C. Scruggs Captain Worley Sharp Fred M. "Jack" Sexton Carl Eugene Smith George H. Smith Joe E. Tarwater Captain Charles E. Youngblood Retired firefighters who have died since the last memorial service: Howard E. "Kikie" Beets Buther F. Chittum William R. "Bill Bob" Davis Benjamin F. Doughty Richard G. "Dick" Elliott Wayne E. Fine Dan H. Heiskell William F. Jones Robert R. Lynch Jack Nicholson Tony E. Robertson Tommy L. Shetterly The annual KFD Firefighter Retiree’s Luncheon followed the memorial service. History of the Ceremony and Memorial The Knoxville Fire Department had only been an organized paid department for 19 years when they suffered their first two line of duty deaths (LODD) in 1904. The citizens thought it fitting to perpetuate in stone the names of the deceased men that perished protecting the property of their fellow neighbors. Every October during fire prevention week the names of Knoxville's bravest who answered their last alarm, along with retired firefighters that have passed in the last year will be read by the Chief of the department. Since the memorial's inception there have been 24 LODD names etched in the stone.

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