VIDEO: A traveling EMS memorial stopped Monday in the Ohio Valley on its trek across the country.
"We realized how impactful that is to the honorees families when they get to see all of this,” said Jana Williams, president of the National EMS Memorial Service.
The memorial made its way to Follansbee on Monday, one stop on its trip that began in Texas a few days ago and will end in Arlington, Va. at week’s end.
“Next weekend, we're going to pay homage to 72 EMS providers that lost their lives in the line of duty over the last year,” Williams said. EMS personnel from Ohio, West Virginia, and even a medical helicopter crew from Pittsburgh, visited the memorial on Monday.
The National EMS Memorial Service was formed in 1991 and centers around the Tree of Life Memorial. Each year, leaves are added, each for someone who died in the line of duty. The leaves include a name, agency, state and last call date, something very important to many.