SPRINGFIELD - The Annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Firefighter Medal of Honor Awards Ceremony is now set for Friday, September 10.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
One of the firefighters that will be honored at the ceremony will be local hero Godfrey Fire Captain Jake Ringering.
Captain Ringering lost his life while battling a structure fire on March 6, 2019. A wall collapsed killing Ringering and seriously injuring Godfrey firefighter Luke Warner and two Bethalto firefighters.
The Fallen Firefighter Memorial service will be held at the firefighter memorial on the grounds of the Illinois State Capitol beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Following the ceremony at the capitol, the Medal of Honor Ceremony will take place at the Bank of Springfield Center. More information about the annual fire truck muster will come at a later date. The OSFM will be following the latest COVID-19 guidance set in the Restore Illinois Plan to help maintain the health and safety of those attending the events.
“We were disappointed that we were not able to honor our brothers and sisters who paid the ultimate sacrifice and those who went above and beyond the call of duty last year,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez. “It has been an extremely difficult past couple of years, and we have lost several of our heroes to COVID-19. We will finally get to honor our two fallen brothers Kody Vanfossan and Jake Ringering from 2019 and Mario Araujo, Edward Singleton, Robert Reisinger, Dylan Cunningham, and Robert Truevillian who we lost in 2020. These men and their families will finally receive the honor they deserve.”
The OSFM also presents The State Fire Marshal Life Safety Award during the Medal of Honor Ceremony. The State Fire Marshal Life Safety Award is in recognition of the extraordinary efforts performed by individuals in furtherance of fire prevention and life safety. All nominee names will be published in our agency newsletter and on our website.
Due to the ceremony being moved to the fall, the nomination deadline has been extended to Friday, May 28. If you know someone who deserves this award you must fill out a nomination and submit the form to us. Nomination forms can be found by visiting the OSFM website at sfm.illinois.gov. Nominations should be submitted to Robin.Sudduth@illinois.gov or, by regular mail,
More like this:
Related Video:
