VIDEO: Eight Maryland first responders, killed in the line of duty, were honored Friday afternoon at the annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony.
Among them, a pair of city firefighters killed in October battling a series of homes on fire in Northwest Baltimore - Firefighter/EMT Rodnery Pitts III, and Captain Dillon Rinaldo. Both were killed fighting a fire on Linden Heights Avenue in January 2022.
Pitts' mother, Monica Gant, spoke with WJZ ahead of the ceremony. She says she visits his burial site multiple times a week.
"He's like, 'Mom, you're strong. You got this. We're in this together.' Like, I can still feel him and tell him, 'We're in this together,'" Gant said. Lauren Ridlon was Captain Rinaldo's fiancée. "He would have been very proud to be honored as a firefighter hero. It was his dream," Ridlon said.