Two fallen West Virginia firefighters among 226 to be honored at National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend

EMMITSBURG, Md. — The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) announced it will host the 43 ^rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend (Memorial Weekend) on May 4-5, 2024 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Organizers say this year’s national tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years.

The honorees will include the following West Virginia firefighters:

Ret. Firefighter Cody Mullens, age 28, of the West Virginia Division of Forestry, was fighting a wildland fire in Fayette County, WV, on 4/13/23 when a tree fell and killed him.

Forester/Wildland Firefighter Ronald “Ron” Strosnider, age 75, of the Capon Valley Volunteer Fire Department, responded to an emergency medical call at a residence on 10/23/23. He became ill while on scene and was taken home by fire department personnel. Later in the day, he was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest. The cause of death was determined to be sinus bradycardia.

According to organizers, detailed information about each of the 226 firefighters being memorialized can be found on the 2024 Roll of Honor .

“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 NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro. “We will always remember the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of each of these 226 heroes—and their families.”

Organizers say there are two events open to the public at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) during Memorial Weekend.

• The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service is on May 4 at 7:30 pm ET and will be hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department.
• The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is on May 5 at 10:00 am ET and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm.

Fire service and government leaders are scheduled to address the thousands of attendees at the Memorial Service on Sunday, May 5. The NFFF will livestream both events on the NFFF’s website (firehero.org) , YouTube channel , and Facebook page .

Organizers say additional events during Memorial Weekend are provided exclusively for honored firefighters’ families and fire departments. These include small group sessions and other activities throughout Friday and Saturday; they are open to the families and coworkers of newly honored and previously honored firefighters.

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