The Las Cruces Fire Department and the Veterans Advisory Board will commemorate National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend with a flag-raising and traditional Bell Ceremony Sunday morning at Veterans Memorial Park.
The ceremony begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at Veterans Memorial Park, 2651 Roadrunner Parkway. The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will honor all firefighters from throughout the country who made the ultimate sacrifice during the last year.
The Las Cruces Fire Department proudly serves New Mexico's second-largest city with professional firefighters who are all licensed emergency medical technicians. LCFD responds to more than 17,000 calls for service annually with eight engine companies, two truck companies, a battalion chief and several support vehicles. In addition to fire suppression and emergency medical services, LCFD also offers special response teams that provide technical rescue, hazardous materials response and aircraft rescue firefighting.
Las Cruces has obtained a Class 1 rating from the Insurance Services Office making it the first in New Mexico, and one of only 97 communities nationwide, to achieve the top ranking. The rating is based on a scale of 1 – 10 with 1 being the best rating. The rating typically results in lower insurance premiums for residential and commercial policyholders.
In 2001, President George W. Bush approved legislation requiring the United States flag to be lowered to half-staff all federal buildings to memorialize fallen firefighters. This ceremony is also the start of Fire Prevention Week, which is October 6-12.