Approximately 100 firefighters give their lives in the line of duty each year in the United States. There is no other single event that is as powerful and significant to an agency. The death of a fellow firefighter presents a difficult time for the entire agency as well as the deceased member's family. Many details and arrangements need to be addressed in a short period of time.
It is vital that the fire agency be prepared to take responsibility,for seeing that the deceased firefighter's family receives the assistance needed and the various benefits afforded to them. Unfortunately, many fire agencies are not prepared to handle such a tragic event. Plans, policies, and resources should all be in place prior to an incident. The key to managing a line-of-duty death is similar to handling a fire-ground incident, control the situation, communicate effectively, and ensure the cooperation of all involved parties. Pre-planning is the foundation. It allows us to establish a system or procedures to follow that will ensure that the proper steps are taken to handle the incident, media, investigation, funeral services, and the family's desires and support it needs.
This guideline is intended to assist in preparing for and handling a line-of-duty death (LODD) of a member of our fire agency, as well as a line-of-duty-death-illness (LODDI), off-duty death, or retiree death.
Colorado Firefighter, Funeral Services Guidelines