“I think there’s a special place in heaven for them.”James was one of two firemen who died in the line of duty within the last year and was honored at the 25th annual Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service on Friday at Florida State Fire College in Ocala. About 200 people attended the memorial service, including members of local public safety departments, such as Marion County Fire Rescue, Sumter County Fire & EMS and the District Public Safety Department. “You’ll never be able to fill the hole in somebody’s heart when they’ve lost a son, daughter, father or wife.”The annual memorial service allows everyone to honor their first responders together, said Florida State Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala. Seven additional firefighters from South Florida were recognized, and a total of nine memorial flags were distributed to represent passionate first responders. “When they say there’s a brotherhood in the fire service, there absolutely is.”Julius Halas, the division director of the State Fire Marshal, has been able to witness how the annual memorial service has united first responders and their families for decades.

Source: Daily Sun October 14, 2017 12:00 UTC