The memorial has been held for the last twenty years in Philadelphia. Two new names have been added to the list this year, they are Lieutenant Robert Neary of the fire service and firefighter Daniel Sweeney - both of Ladder 10.
During set up this morning for the annual event there were concerns of intermittent showers, but the weather did not do anything to deter the commitment of those arriving to pay tribute.
The names of Lieutenant Robert Neary and firefighter Daniel Sweeney were placed on the plaques. The pair, a 60-year-old 37-year veteran and a 25-year-old with five years in the fire service, were assigned to Fire 10 and part of a five-alarm effort to battle a vacant factory fire on April 9, 2012. They died of fatal injuries following a wall collapse inside an adjacent furniture store.
Neary and Sweeney's names are now part of a list of nearly five hundred Philadelphia firefighters and police officers remembered as having died in the line of duty, dating back to the 19th century.
Records for line of duty deaths in Philadelphia date back to the 1870s for the fire service and all the way back to 1828 for the police department.
The Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund is currently is trying to raise funds for a fitting and more permanent tribute to those who gave their life in the line of duty.
For more information, visit fallenheroesmemorialfund.org.
