LAFD Honors Supreme Sacrifice at Annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Beneath a clear blue sky, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), alongside the LAFD Historical Society, the L.A. Firemen's Relief Association, and the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firefighter's Fund, gathered on Saturday, October 11, 2026, for the annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. The solemn event took place at the Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial, located at historic Hollywood Fire Station 27 on Cahuenga Boulevard.

The ceremony paid tribute to the 280 brave members of the department who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of Los Angeles since the department's inception. Family members, friends, surviving spouses, and both active and retired fire service personnel stood shoulder-to-shoulder to ensure that the legacies of these fallen heroes are never forgotten.

The event was led by LAFD Chief Jaime Moore, alongside LAFD Chaplains Daniel Nakamura, Kevin Smith, and George Negrete. Retired LAFD Captain and Historical Society President Jim Finn served as the keynote speaker, guiding those in attendance in a unified recitation of the inscription engraved on the memorial's granite wall: "Courageously they died, by inspiration they live."

The service included deeply moving traditions, highlighted by the solemn toll of the ten bells, signaling a firefighter's final return to quarters. Attendees gathered around the dramatic plaza monument, which features a granite wall bearing the names of the fallen. In front of the wall stands a series of bronze statues designed by LAFD Fire Captain Duane Golden, depicting a fire company in action and a fallen member being tended to by a colleague.

"By standing together, we honor those we have lost and show their families that this Department will never forget them," the LAFD shared in a statement following the event. The annual gathering remains a cornerstone of the department's identity, providing comfort and enduring community support to the extended LAFD family.

For more historical information or to support the families of the fallen, please visit the LAFD Historical Society and the L.A. Firemen's Relief Association.