The 38th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service was held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The ceremony honored the 119 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2018.
Included in those firefighters was one of Rhode Island’s own, Lieutenant Richard Jenks of the Pascoag Fire Department.
Jenks died on Feb. 14 while responding to a fire call. On Sunday morning his name was read aloud and his family was given an American flag in Richard’s memory. Former Director of the Providence Emergency Management Agency Peter Gaynor, now Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency addressed the crowd. “Since the founding of our nation, firefighters have demonstrated unwavering dedication, courage and commitment to their fellow community members every day,” he said.