Today marks the beginning of the Week of Remembrance—a time to honor the wildland firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and to reflect on the lessons their stories continue to teach us.
This year's Week of Remembrance focuses on serious incidents from the 2016 fire season, encouraging all of us to learn from the past while recognizing the lasting impact these events have had on our wildland fire community.
As we begin this week of reflection, our hearts are especially heavy following the tragic loss of three wildland firefighters this weekend during initial attack operations on the Knowles Fire. We mourn alongside their families, friends, crewmates, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking loss.
Today is also observed in honor of the 15 firefighters lost during the 2016 fire season and in lasting remembrance of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, whose sacrifice on June 30, 2013, will never be forgotten.
We invite you to join us and @NWCG throughout the week as we remember those we've lost, reflect on the lessons learned, and recommit ourselves to looking out for one another.
#WeekOfRemembrance
We are saddened to share the identities of the three firefighters we lost responding to the Knowles Fire in western Colorado on Saturday. The firefighters were assigned to the Rifle Helitack crew and were engaged in initial attack operations on the Knowles Fire when the incident occurred.
The deceased firefighters have been identified as:
💜Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan, assigned to the U.S. Forest Service Rifle Helitack.
💜Nick Hutcherson, 27 of Glendale, Arizona, assigned to the U.S. Forest Service Kaibab National Forest.
💜Sydney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama, assigned to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Rifle Helitack.
Two additional firefighters were injured during the incident and are receiving medical care.
“We mourn the loss of three firefighters who answered the call to protect others and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their fellow citizens,” said U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy. “Our thoughts are with their families, loved ones, friends and crewmates as they face an unimaginable loss. These firefighters embodied the courage, professionalism and selflessness that define the wildland fire service. Please join me and my family in keeping our thoughts and prayers with the families of the fallen and our injured firefighters and their families.”
The full press release can be found here: https://t.co/2LLq8vJXOP
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If God loved us enough to die for us, He can certainly handle anything we bring to Him in prayer.
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This is chilling.
Football star Jordyn Tyson sings gospel music immediately after being drafted into the NFL, giving glory to God
Tyson is a devout Christian.
We need more of this ✝️
Kelly and I were at the event tonight, and we’re thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe.
We’re grateful as always for the law enforcement and first responders who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control.
Praying for our country tonight.
Honestly officer we had nothing to do with it. He said he was taking us for a walk, we've been held. Please we urgently need a lawyer. 😂 That curious look from the small one is ultimate. 😅 Dogs are so smart and funny! 🐕
That time a high-speed chase on a LA freeway ended abruptly when a box truck struck the fleeing vehicle on purpose , taking off its driver’s side door and helping the police to catch up.