Criteria for inclusion in National Memorial

In 1997, fire service leaders formulated new criteria to determine eligibility for inclusion on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. Line-of-duty deaths shall be determined by the following standards:

  1. (a) Deaths meeting the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program guidelines, and those cases that appear to meet these guidelines whether or not PSOB staff has adjudicated the specific case prior to the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service; and (b) Deaths from injuries, heart attacks or illnesses directly attributable to a specific emergency incident or training activity.
  2. While PSOB guidelines cover only public safety officers, the new criteria also include private firefighters, such as those in an industrial brigade, provided the deaths meet the standards listed above.
  3. Some specific cases will be excluded from consideration, such as deaths attributable to suicide, alcohol or substance abuse, and other gross abuses.