The fallen firefighter bell rang four times Thursday in the bay of Kinston Fire & Rescue during the annual Kinston/Lenoir County Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.
David Ricke, retired fire captain for the Kinston fire department, said the service was in conjunction with the annual National Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial held in Emmitsburg, Maryland at the National Emergency Training Center.
The Emmitsburg, Maryland service, which has been held on the first Sunday of October since 1981, will remember 80 firefighters who died in the line of duty last year and 23 others from previous years, Ricke said.
“Today we are gathered to honor our fallen brothers and sisters, particularly the four North Carolina firefighters who died while serving their communities,” Ricke said.