Memorial Ceremony Honors Oregon's Fallen Firefighters -06/20/24
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2024
SALEM, Ore. — A ceremony held Thursday, June 20 in Salem commemorated Oregon fire service members who have died in the line of duty. Hundreds gathered for the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Ceremony to honor the brave individuals who gave their lives to protect communities and natural resources around the state.
The annual event is held at the Oregon Public Safety Academy, site of the Oregon Fire Fighters Memorial. The memorial commemorates 179 fire service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice since 1881, including career, volunteer, wildland and structural fire fighters.
Thursday’s ceremony remembered three fallen fire service members whose names were recently added to the memorial: Mo Stadeli of Salem Fire Department, and Brandon W. Norbury and Brian Edward Flowers of Gresham Fire and Emergency Services.
Mo Stadeli served as a professional firefighter with the Salem Fire Department for more than twenty-five years. In 2018, he was diagnosed with tonsillar cancer, and he passed away on February 24, 2019.
On February 3, 2023, after participating in routine hose evolution training, Brandon W. Norbury of Gresham Fire and Emergency Services suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the training ground. Despite life-saving efforts of other fire department members, Norbury was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.
After a fifteen-year career, Gresham Fire and Emergency Services Firefighter Brian Edward Flowers passed away on November 19, 2023, after a monthslong battle with Occupational Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
In his keynote speech, Clackamas Fire District #1 Chief Nick Browne praised the fallen firefighters’ commitment to public service and the sacrifices they made to leave the world a better place.
“In the course of their duties, these men saved countless lives, they protected property, and they provided a sense of security and hope to countless individuals,” Chief Browne said.
He continued, “Every name on that wall, every person on that wall reflected those same traits. When we reflect on their sacrifice, we see that bright beacon of light that shines from their examples through the darkness of grief, illuminating the path of service, courage and compassion that they walked every single day.”
The ceremony is a significant event that the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) hosts annually in partnership with the Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard. For more information on the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial, including the names of the fallen, history of the memorial, and the Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard’s involvement, please visit DPSST’s Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial website at https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/Memorials/Firefighters/Pages/default.aspx.
###
About DPSST
The mission of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is to pursue excellence in training and accountability for public safety professionals. DPSST certifies and licenses police, corrections, and parole and probation officers, as well as regulatory specialists, emergency telecommunicators and medical dispatchers, criminal justice instructors, private security providers, private investigators, fire service professionals, and polygraph examiners in the state of Oregon. DPSST works with public and private safety agencies around the state to provide basic, leadership and specialized training at the 237-acre Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem and regionally throughout the state.