Why flags are at half-staff, half-mast today in Ohio?

Flags on public buildings and grounds throughout Ohio are being flown at half-staff on Sunday as part of the 43rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.

Governor Mike DeWine ordered the lowering of flags in accordance with an order from President Joe Biden.

The annual memorial service is honoring 226 fallen firefighters across the country, including 89 who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 who died in previous years, according to the  National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

“National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is a time for our nation to pause and reflect on the heroic efforts and selfless service of the fallen firefighters we are paying tribute to this year,” said the foundation's CEO Victor Stagnaro.

This year, 17 fallen Ohio firefighters are being honored:

• Firefighter/EMT Gregory Lee Bauer , age 56, of the Columbus Division of Fire, died on Oct. 18, 2021 due to complications of COVID-19.
• Firefighter/Paramedic Seamus Culligan , age 44, of the Willoughby Fire Department, died on Feb. 15, 2022 due to complications of brain cancer, deemed by the State of Ohio to be a line of duty death.
• Safety Officer Kevin Dailey , age 72, of the Middleport Fire Department, was returning from a fire call when the fire apparatus he was driving rolled over the side of a hill and crashed.  He was pinned under the truck and was extricated by other firefighters returning from the same call who used airbags to lift and pull him out. He was flown to the hospital, where he underwent surgery on Sept. 19, 2022.  He remained in the hospital until his death on Jan. 24, 2023.
• Captain Charles "Chuck" Gossard , age 54, of the Springfield Township Fire & EMS Department, died on March 16, 2022, due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of Ohio to be a line-of-duty death.
• Captain Hal Hanenkrath , age 40, of the South Richland Fire Department, was on the scene of a structure fire on June 27, 2023, when he started experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains. He was treated at the scene and rushed to the local hospital, where he passed a short time later from a pulmonary embolism.
• Fire Chief David Jarvis III , age 65, of the Columbus Division of Fire, died on Dec. 9, 2021 due to complications of COVID-19.
• Firefighter/Paramedic Edward Long , age 55, of the Portsmouth Fire Department, responded to a request to help a drive locked out for a tractor-trailer on March 22, 2022. He had to use a ladder from Engine 2 to access the cab. After unlocking the cab, he placed the ladder back on Engine 2 and cleared the scene. While en route back to the station Firefighter/Engineer Long stopped at a stop sign, and advised the officer in charge of the engine that he didn't feel well. He set the parking brake on the engine and became unresponsive. Crews from the station responded. Long was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later due to cardiac arrest.
• Firefighter/EMT Dennis McCollum , age 62, of the Kalida Volunteer Fire Department, died on Dec. 22, 2022, due to a heart attack within 24 hours of participating in training at the fire station.
• Firefighter Randy Miner , age 57, of the Mary Ann Township Fire Department, died on Sept. 26, 2021 due to complications of COVID-19.
• Fire Chief Ralph Nunley , age 41, of the Bloom Township Fire Department, died on March 23, 2022 due to complications of colorectal cancer, deemed by the State of Ohio to be a line of duty death.
• Lieutenant Kenneth Pettit , age 60, of the Allen-Clay Joint Fire District, died on Nov. 13, 2022 due to complications of cancer, deemed by the State of Ohio to be a line-of-duty death.
• Captain Matthew Reid , age 48, of the Fletcher Volunteer Fire Department, died on Oct. 18, 2021 due to complications of COVID-19.
• Lieutenant Charles Swank , age 39, of the Washington Township Fire Department, died due to a heart attack on Dec. 8, 2022, within 24 hours of participating in department-mandated training at a High Rise Operations Conference in Pensacola, FL.
• Firefighter James Tansey , age 72, of the Wakeman Fire District, died on Jan. 24, 2021 due to complications of COVID-19.
• Firefighter Sean Tyler , age 37, of the Tiffin Fire/Rescue Division, died on June 20, 2022 due to complications of cancer.
• Firefighter/Paramedic Brett Wilson , age 23, of the Columbia Township Fire Department, responded to a motor vehicle accident near his residence on Oct. 27, 2019. As he entered the road, a loose electrical line fell. He was transported to a medical facility where he died due to electrocution.
• Firefighter/Paramedic Robert Wysong , age 70, of the Clinton-Warren Joint Fire and Rescue District, responded to a brush fire on Dec. 24. He returned home after the call, and later that evening, his wife found him unresponsive. He was transported to a local hospital and taken by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital where he died from a heart attack Dec. 26.

Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

pgill@dispatch.com

@pitaarji

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why flags are at half-staff, half-mast today in Ohio?