Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon.gov Homepage

Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial

The Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Ceremony recognizes all of the Oregon Fire Fighters who have died in the Line-of-Duty. 


Every June, the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Ceremony recognizes all of the Oregon Fire Fighters who have died in the Line-of-Duty.  The memorial is located in Salem, Oregon at the Oregon Public Safety Academy. Watch the 2022 Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Ceremony by clicking here.
  
To date 176 Line-of-Duty-Deaths have been approved for the memorial wall from as far back as 1881.  The submissions include every aspect of the fire service including career, volunteer, wildland, and structural fire fighters; chief officers, company officers, engineers, and fire fighters. 

The construction of the memorial was completed and dedicated on September 9, 2006.  The Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard has volunteered to serve as the conduit for the annual memorial ceremony that is held in June.

 

The idea to construct a memorial which honors Oregon’s fallen fire fighters began in 1994. The founders of the original committee had a common vision, to establish a living statewide memorial to recognize members of the Oregon fire service. At the April 30, 2004 meeting of the DPSST Fire Policy Committee (FPC) the proposal to construct the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial at the Oregon Public Safety Academy, located in Salem, Oregon, was approved. The FPC also asked each statewide fire service organization to participate in the design process and assist those who had invested years in this effort. The design for the memorial was later selected by the Oregon fire service and is now being maintained by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST).

The Oregon Public Safety Academy is located off Aumsville Highway near Cordon Road on over 200 acres of property. This facility allows for the training of Oregon’s public safety professionals, including fire, corrections, law enforcement, 9-1-1 and many others. The academy opened in July 2006. Oregon law requires 1% of all construction dollars be allocated towards the arts. The Oregon Public Safety Academy Arts Committee selected the construction of the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial as one of the projects to be funded from this fund.

 The goal of DPSST and the Oregon Public Safety Academy Arts Committee was to assist in a long-term goal of the fire service, the construction of a statewide memorial that honors structural and wildland firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in the line of duty.

After a number of meetings with the State Arts Commission and various artists a selection was made by the workgroup. The work was awarded to Scott and Robert Murase of Portland. Murase Associates is a Portland-based firm that has received dozens of awards over the past two decades for their work throughout the Pacific Northwest. Murase Associates proposed a polished granite wall with a bronze Maltese cross that would list the names of the fallen. A black granite path inscribed “In the Line of Duty” will go across the front of the memorial and is illuminated at night.

The Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Committee has worked with structural and wildland fire agencies across the state to ensure all of our fallen comrades are honored. Line-of-duty-deaths from as far back as 1881 have been submitted for review. To date the Committee has approved 174 submissions for the memorial. The submissions include every aspect of the fire service including career, volunteer, wildland, and structural fire fighters; chief officers, company officers, engineers, and fire fighters. The construction of the memorial was completed and dedicated on September 9, 2006. The Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard has volunteered to serve as the conduit for the annual memorial ceremony that is held on the third Thursday of every September.

Since the inception of this idea in 1994, the biggest challenge faced on this project was funding. Originally DPSST set aside $100,000 for this work, later DPSST approved an additional $25,000 to complete Phase I of this memorial. Phase I includes the work described above, a second phase is planned but completion of that work would take almost another $100,000. The second phase involves a figurative sculpture, a marble overlook and a fountain in a nearby pond. The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association has graciously established a tax deductible account to raise funds for Phase II of the memorial and to address costs associated with the annual memorial ceremony.

We would like to recognize the original members of the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Committee that were an essential part in the creation of the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial. Jack Carriger (Oregon Fire Chiefs’ Association), Patrick Fale (Oregon State Firefighters Council), Lou Gugliotta (Oregon Fire Marshal’s Association), Laura Houston (Oregon Fire Service Administrators Association), Michael Hundt (Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard), Bill Klein (Oregon Fire Instructor’s Association), Committee Chair Stan Parker (Oregon Fire Service Museum), Dick Ragsdale (Oregon Fire Service Learning Center), Steve Schneiderman (Oregon Volunteer Firefighter’s Association) and Eriks Gabliks (Department of Public Safety Standards and Training).

Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Application - Word Version

Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Application - PDF Version


Criteria for Oregon Fallen Fire Fighter’s Memorial 

The criteria for the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighter’s Memorial were adopted by the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Committee on November 7, 2005.  The Oregon criteria are identical to that which is used for the National Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  By doing this the criteria is the same and a fallen firefighter is honored on both the state and national memorials.
 

Line-of-duty deaths shall be determined by the following standards:

1.  (a) Deaths of firefighters meeting the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program guidelines, and those cases that appear to meet these guidelines whether or not PSOB staff has adjudicated the specific case prior to the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service; and 

    (b) Deaths of firefighters from injuries, heart attacks or illnesses documented to show a direct link to a specific emergency incident or department-mandated training activity.

2.  While PSOB guidelines cover only public safety officers, the Foundation's criteria also include contract firefighters and firefighters employed by a private company, such as those in an industrial brigade, provided the deaths meet the standards listed above.

Some specific cases will be excluded from consideration, such as deaths attributable to suicide, alcohol or substance abuse, and other gross abuses.


Donation Form - Word Version

Donation Form - PDF Version

The Oregon Fire Chief’s Foundation has set-up a tax deductible fund to assist with the on-going costs of the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial.  These funds will be used to add future names to the wall, support the annual memorial ceremony, and fund future additions and enhancements to the memorial.  
 
Your tax deductible donation can be made to:
Oregon Fire Chiefs Foundation
Attn: Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial 
25030 SW Parkway Ave. Suite 330
Wilsonville, OR 97070  

If you have questions regarding the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial, please contact Fire Program Manager Julie Olsen at DPSST by phone at (503)-​​378-2297 or via email at julie.olsen@dpsst.oregon.gov.

The Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard, in partnership with DPSST is responsible for the Oregon Fallen Firefighter's Memorial. The honor guard performs all ceremonies at the site. For more information, please visit https://ofshg.weebly.com/.