36 new names added to California Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO — Hundreds of people are in Sacramento this weekend to honor firefighters who died in the line of duty. The annual event began Friday with a bagpipe ceremony at the California Firefighters Memorial wall in Capitol Park.
The memories are still fresh for friends and family of fallen firefighters. There were 36 new names etched onto the Memorial Wall.
The memorial has a new look this year with ten additional limestone panels added to the site. Organizers say it's enough namespace to last 100 years or more.
"It is a stark reminder of the dangers of this job," said Darrell Roberts with California Professional Firefighters.
The annual ceremony to honor firefighters who died in the line of duty comes amid growing concern over the risk of occupational-related cancer.
That's how 23 of these firefighters died last year.
"It's killing our firefighters," Roberts said. "It's the number one cause of firefighter deaths in our profession."
Seeing these names is a reminder that breathing in toxic smoke over decades on the job can cause an untimely death. However, new research and tactics are trying to make the job safer.
Sacramento Metro Fire is now sending a decontamination truck to all structure fires so crews can strip down and wash off toxic soot right at the scene.
California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is studying the use of breathing masks on wildland fires to help reduce prolonged inhalation of smoke.
"We're doing everything we can from our fire service profession to minimize those risks," Roberts said.
The annual memorial continues Saturday with a ceremony at the convention center, and at 5 p.m., there will be a procession through Capitol Park and a fly-over featuring Cal Fire aircraft.