Annual tribute to Boston’s fallen firefighters comes during ‘difficult time’ for fire department

BOSTON — The 133rd memorial service honoring Boston’s fallen firefighters took place in Forest Hills Cemetery Sunday morning.

“At Forest Hills Cemetery, we honor all our fallen heroes today,” said Boston Fire Commissioner Rodney Marshall. “In many cases, their loss was a loss of life in the pursuit of helping others.”

This year’s memorial service comes less than one month after the loss of firefighter Bobby Kilduff Jr., killed while battling a fire in Dorchester on May 23.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult year, especially the past couple weeks for all of us gathered here today,” Local 718 President Sam Dillon said.

“Seeing the outpouring of support from around the country and the world coming together in Boston to honor firefighter BK, Bobby Kilduff is something that I will never ever forget,” Mayor Michelle Wu said Sunday.

After a procession of the Boston Fire Honor Guard, flowers were laid at the graves of fallen firefighters buried at the Fireman’s Lot, near the Boston Firefighters Monument.

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Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) President Richard MacKinnon Jr. acknowledged the profound legacy Kilduff leaves behind.

“He organized and attend PFFM and Local 718 events and would have been here today laying a wreath at the grave of his fellow firefighter and friend Billy Carey, who was assigned to Rescue Company 2 and succumbed to occupational cancer just a few months before BK’s death,” MacKinnon said. “That is not irony, that is commitment.”

The service is a long-standing tradition to honor the city’s heroes, but also to recognize the impacts that are felt far beyond the firefighter.

“The families of the men and women you see out here serve this city just as much, if not more than we do,” Dillon said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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