Eight members of the Summit Fire Department volunteered at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend held May 3 through May 5 at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The annual event honors the firefighters who died in the line of duty the previous year.
Thousands of fire department members from across the country were in attendance, including the following members of the Summit Fire Department: Fire Chief Eric Evers, Deputy Chief Paul Imbimbo, Battalion Chief Brian Harnois, Lieutenant Chris Esposito, Lieutenant Matthew Lemons, Retired Deputy Chief Rick DeGroot, Retired Battalion Chief Joe Wurtzbacher, and retired Firefighter Matt Klapper.
At home in Summit, the Summit Fire Department participated in two events held nationwide to honor the firefighters that lost their lives in 2023. The bell monument at fire headquarters was lit in red beginning on Wednesday, May 1, through Sunday, May 5, as part of the Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters event. Alongside local places of worship and other locations across the country, members of C Platoon rang the bell at 10AM on Sunday, May 5, as part of the Bells Across America event, to mark the start of the memorial service at the event in Maryland.
Visit www.firehero.org to learn more about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the memorial weekend event. Visit www.cityofsummit.org/fire to learn more about the Summit Fire Department.
From left to right: Retired Deputy Chief Rick DeGroot, retired Battalion Chief Joe Wurtzbacher, retired Firefighter Matt Klapper, Lieutenant Chris Esposito, Lieutenant Matt Lemons, Battalion Chief Brian Harnois, Deputy Chief Paul Imbimbo, Chief Eric Evers
From left to right: Firefighter Colin Kidd, Firefighter Matt Carbone, Firefighter Jim Pignatello, Firefighter Tom Penn
From left to right: Firefighter Colin Kidd, Firefighter Matt Carbone, Firefighter Tom Penn, Firefighter Jim Pignatello, Battalion Chief Clint Evers