All 142 Milwaukee firefighters who have died serving the city since 1860 were honored Wednesday, Oct. 12 during the annual "Fallen Firefighter Memorial Program."
Everyone knows that a firefighter's job is dangerous. It's their duty to run toward the flames, but Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said it's what happens after they leave that can be the most deadly. From those who died in the 1800s to the most recent, all 142 members of the Milwaukee Fire Department that have given their life had their names read Wednesday. "We still have to remember because they did still make the ultimate sacrifice so that somebody else might live," said Chief Lipski. "What we do is risk. It is risk."
Over the decades, Chief Lipski said research has shown the biggest risk may not be the flames but the things they breathe in.