Ceremony Memorializing Maryland's Fallen First Responders Delayed for Public Safety

A ceremony honoring Maryland’s fallen first responders—including a Columbia man—will not take place Friday as planned, given the unrest surrounding Baltimore.

Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, which hosts the state’s annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony in Timonium, chose to postpone the event in the wake of the Baltimore riots.

The ceremony will be rescheduled for later this spring, according to a statement from the gardens, which said the decision came “under the advisement of public safety agencies and out of respect for our state’s public safety personnel.”

One of those being honored at this year’s ceremony is Erik Steciak, the 29-year-old paramedic who died while responding to a motorist in distress during a snowstorm in January. He lived in Columbia and also served as a captain with the West Friendship Volunteer Fire Company.

• Paramedic from Columbia Killed in Harford County
• Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens to Host Fallen Heroes Day
• Howard County Police Increase Presence After Baltimore Riots
• Baltimore Riots: Fires and Looting, State of Emergency Declared

This year marks the 30th annual Fallen Heroes Day, which is the only ceremony of its kind in the state. Since last May’s ceremony, six people have died in the line of duty and will be honored at this year’s observance:

• Fire Apparatus Driver Operator Robert Fogle III, Baltimore County Fire Department; May 30, 2014
• Lt. James Bethea, Baltimore City Fire Department; Nov. 12, 2014
• Corporal Jamel Clagett, Charles County Sheriff’s Office; Dec. 21, 2014
• Paramedic Erik Steciak, Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company; Jan. 6, 2015
• Officer Craig Chandler, Baltimore Police Department; Jan. 9, 2015
• Officer First Class Brennan Rabain, Prince George’s County Police Department; March 7, 2015

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Photo courtesy of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.