The Unified Government will light City Hall and other buildings in red to honor first responders who died in the line of duty during the previous year.
City Hall and all fire stations in Kansas City, Kansas, will be lit with red lights starting tonight through Oct. 4, recognizing the sacrifice of firefighters across the country.
“Between September 27 and October 4 of this year, the Unified Government will light City Hall in red to remember and honor those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price in service to communities around the country. They were fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, neighbors, and friends – but most of all, they were heroes who died in the service of others. I invite everyone in Wyandotte County to join me in recognizing their sacrifice through this national tribute by lighting your homes and businesses with a red light,” Unified Government Mayor-CEO David Alvey said in a news release.
The UG and KCKFD invite all to join us in Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters by lighting your landmarks, buildings, businesses, and homes in red to honor America’s fallen heroes.
“Why do we do this today? We do it to keep a promise. A promise to Never Forget. Today, we remember the sacrifice, and revere the bravery, of those to whom we are paying respect. The Fire Service is, and always has been, a team undertaking. We respond together, we train together, we eat together, and we live together. We are also aware however, that it is a dangerous undertaking; one that can often be unpredictable. Those we honor today, left behind family and friends… hopes and dreams… due to that unpredictability. Their lives were cut short fulfilling an oath. Those fallen Fire Service members we honor today, had all sworn that sacred oath – the same oath that that continues to be sworn to this day. The individuals we honor today, swore an oath to lay down their lives, to protect, not just their friends and families, but individuals that they did not know, folks they had never met. An oath to protect others, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, national origin, income, education, or language,” said KCKFD Chief Michael Callahan. “The Bible, tells us ‘Greater Love Hath No Man than to Lay down His Life for His Friends.’ As a testament to that biblical verse, and that axiom, only about 1% of the population of the United States has sworn an oath to be a firefighter. No one enters, or has entered, our profession to become rich or famous. Members of the Fire Service who, like those we honor today, have made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the final price, providing their last, true measure of devotion, by laying down their lives. We remember them today because it is essential that we never forget their sacrifice.”
About ‘Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters’
Every October, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation sponsors the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, the official national tribute to those firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. In 2017, the Foundation created Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters to recognize the 25th anniversary of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.
During this annual tribute, landmarks, fire departments, and homes across the country will glow red in respect of the fallen firefighters and their families. In 2018, Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters expanded to include fire department tributes. Fire service organizations nationwide are invited to light their facilities in red to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and be a beacon of hope for their families.
