The Knoxville Fire Department held its annual Memorial Service Honoring Fallen Firefighters Tuesday at the KFD's Headquarters Fire Station in downtown Knoxville.

The annual ceremony honored the 24 KFD firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty since 1885 and the 12 retired firefighters who have died since the last memorial service.

As part of the ceremony, attended by active and retired firefighters and family and friends of those being honored, a bell tolled 36 times - once for each of the fallen firefighters.

At the same time - as each fallen firefighter's name was read by Fire Chief Stan Sharp and the bell tolled - a single red rose was placed into a gold-colored vase bearing the department's insignia.

Mayor Madeline Rogero and Chief Sharp spoke at the ceremony and a wreath was placed at the firefighter's statue in Firefighter Memorial Park in front of the station.

Members of KFD who have died in the line of duty since 1885:

Captain Robert L. "Buddy" Blankenship
Fred Everett Boatman
Chief Sam B. Boyd
John. J. Dunn
J.C. Flenniken
Michael A. Fletcher
Captain Howard O. Gray
Captain William F. Maxey
Captain Tom. F. Heagerty
Henry Clay Lawless
James H. May
Louie A. McCaughan
Captain Henry "Pat" Mitchell
Raymond H. "Shorty" Nash
Captain John O. "Slim" Pickens
William Scott Popejoy, Jr.
William C. Reed
Lloyd C. Scruggs
Captain Worley Sharp
Fred M. "Jack" Sexton
Carl Eugene Smith
George H. Smith Joe E. Tarwater
Captain Charles E. Youngblood

Retired firefighters who have died
since the last memorial service:

Howard E. "Kikie" Beets
Buther F. Chittum
William R. "Bill Bob" Davis
Benjamin F. Doughty
Richard G. "Dick" Elliott
Wayne E. Fine
Dan H. Heiskell
William F. Jones
Robert R. Lynch
Jack Nicholson
Tony E. Robertson
Tommy L. Shetterly

The annual KFD Firefighter Retiree's Luncheon followed the memorial service.

History of the Ceremony and Memorial

The Knoxville Fire Department had only been an organized paid department for 19 years when they suffered their first two line of duty deaths (LODD) in 1904. The citizens thought it fitting to perpetuate in stone the names of the deceased men that perished protecting the property of their fellow neighbors. Every October during fire prevention week the names of Knoxville's bravest who answered their last alarm, along with retired firefighters that have passed in the last year will be read by the Chief of the department. Since the memorial's inception there have been 24 LODD names etched in the stone.