The funeral of a firefighter is deeply rooted in tradition. Those who knew, worked, and lived with their fallen comrade will go through a wide range of emotions. This editorial from National Fire & Rescue describes the difficulty some departments and personnel face while planning a friend's funeral. Additionally, we have put together a Funeral Service Guide to aid departments in what levels of service we can provide.

These forms detail the protocols followed during a firefighter's funeral.

• Funeral Protocol

• Employee Information Form

• Firefighters Memorial LODD Wall Application

• 10 Years of Service Wall Application

• PSOB Beneficiary Form

• State Firefighter Memorial Information Form

• PSOB Training - Physical Fitness Directive

• Volunteer FD & FF Status Instructions

• Bell Ceremony - Male

• Bell Ceremony - Female

• Last Alarm Ceremony

• Funeral Notice Template

• Casket Vigil Template

Why do you follow the funeral protocol?

We feel it is very important that we treat all members of the fire service equally. We frequently get asked to work outside of the protocol to include placing Non Line of Duty Deaths on top of fire apparatus. Attempts to justify working outside the protocols include "you don't understand, he was special". To that, we ask...which member of your agency is not special?

Reserving certain traditions is extremely important. If you have ever observed a military honors funeral, you quickly realize there is a big difference between a military service for someone killed in the line of duty versus honoring a veteran of the military. Each are afforded honors, but the honors are tailored to fit the circumstances relating to the death.

Can we just use your trailer if we want to work outside of the protocols?

Regretfully, we decline this request as well. If our trailer is present and is observed by other members of the fire service, the impression is that we have made special adjustments for the service. This creates a problem for those who have asked before, but were denied as well as creates a future expectation for others. We feel very strong that having our trailer present, even without our team members present, gives the impression we support the deviation of the established protocols.

Do you offer firefighter items that can be used during the service?

Yes, each trailer has items on it that are geared toward firefighter funerals. These are specialty items that may not readily be available otherwise. Our team members can go over what items we have available as well as the minimum donation amount for each item we carry.