SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hundreds of firefighters and families are in Sacramento this weekend to remember and honor the firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Thirty-six names have been added to the California Firefighter Memorial at California State Capitol Park, which already includes more than 1,500 names of fallen firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
A ceremony gave firefighters and families a chance to grieve and remember together.
“It is just amazing, I never imagined I would be in this position to bring the kids to do the memorial for their dad,” said Tanya Nolen, who is a relative of Matthew Watt.
Nolen and her family honored Watt, who worked with the U.S. Forest Service San Bernardino until his death in 2022 at age 34.
“Loving, care, all the above. He was a good man,” Nolen said.
The event also provided 35 other families the opportunity to remember their loved one. Fellow firefighter Dean Dockery remembers his wife, Barbara Dockey, of Isleton Fire Department, who died in 2021 after a battle with cancer.
“She was with the Isleton firefighter for over 20 years. It was the only department she served in," Dockery said. "(She) always wants to help others. She was an angel. She had a different way with everyone she came in contact with. She had a way with children and women. It is a shame that we many in the line of duty and to think that cancer is taking people.”
Darrell Roberts with California Professional Firefighters says 60% of line of duty deaths are from cancer.
“Unfortunately, out of the 36 names we are putting on the wall, 23 were from occupational cancer,” Roberts said. “We are trying to put some practices in place that can minimize our exposure. The reality is we work in an environment that is extremely deadly.”
It is the sacrifice the annual event honors, which also saw Sacramento Metro Fire Captain Robert J. Bruce name added, as well as Modesto Fire Captain Doug McCullough.
This year's event unveiled the completion of phase 1 of the Memorial Wall expansion.
“We realized we ran out of room for firefighters going on the wall with over 1,500,” said Roberts.
Officials hope the expansion will allow addition of names of the fallen for the next 100 years.
