Ceremony Memorializing Fallen First Responders Delayed for Public Safety

A ceremony honoring Maryland’s fallen first responders 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, 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.”

• Baltimore Riots Pose ‘No Credible Threats’ to Baltimore County: Officials
• Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens to Host Fallen Heroes Day
• Baltimore Riots: Fires and Looting, State of Emergency Declared

This year marks the 30th annual Fallen Heroes Day.

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.