West Kelowna firefighters attended the 33rd annual IAFF Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado this past Saturday to pay their respect for firefighters who have lost their lives on the line of duty.
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Two-hundred and fifty firefighters were added to the list this year from Canada and the United States, including former West Kelowna resident Captain Troy Russell who served as captain for West Kelowna Fire and Rescue for 20 years.
Russell was an iconic face in the Kelowna firefighting scene, with flags at city hall, municipal services and all West Kelowna Fire Rescue stations flying at half-mast following his passing last September at the age of 53.
WKFR honoured to attend Colorado Springs for the IAFF fallen firefighters memorial. We are here with the Russell family to recognize Cpt Troy Russell and 249 other fallen firefighters. Special thanks to @local5iaff for their dedication to this memorial.#FallenFireFighter19 pic.twitter.com/cEKdyE0hFP
— West Kelowna Fire (@IAFF4457) September 22, 2019
Attendees at the event also included members of Russell’s family who turned up to pay their respects.
In total, approximately 6,000 people attended to watch the ceremony as firefighters’ names were added to the black stone walls at the city’s Memorial Park.