California Fallen Firefighters honored in Sacramento

29 names were added to the 1,300 listed on the California Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento on Saturday.

Uniformed firefighters, family members and community leaders were on hand for the emotional ceremony.

The California Firefighters Memorial honors firefighters who died in the line of duty from traumatic injury or job-related illness.

California Governor Jerry Brown spoke to those in attendance and praised the courage and service of firefighters in the state and across the nation.

Oxnard Fire Captain Jeff Donabedian spoke about his good friend and fellow Oxnard Fire Captain Scott Carroll, who died late last year from a brain aneurysm.

“These brave men and women gave their all, so that others may continue to live their dreams and their lives to the fullest,” Donabedian said.

Carroll was a second-generation firefighter who had worked as a Federal Firefighter in Ventura and a seasonal firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service before settling in Oxnard. He was an avid sportsman and traveler.

Also honored at Saturday’s ceremony was Daniel Corrigan of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. Corrigan died in 2015 from a work-related heart attack. Corrigan was a second-generation firefighter and a mentor to many.

Surviving family members or colleagues were given a folded flag to honor the fallen firefighters, and a bell rang out for each as a symbol of the firefighter’s last call.

The annual ceremony is conducted by the California Fire Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization created by California Professional Firefighters in 1987.

For information about the California Firefighters Memorial and the California Fire Foundation click here.

Photos of the event and bios of each firefighter can be found here.