 Ladies and gentlemen, we gather today with heavy hearts for our fallen firefighters. May our hearts continue to be filled with love for our great country. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance with your right hand over your heart. Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for it. Thank you. Please remain standing. Oh, say can you see by the dawn, sir, what's a prize? Almighty God, you gather us together this day as we take time to remember these firefighters and the lives they have given on our behalf. For the men and women of the fire service in California, we honor and pay tribute to these our beloved fallen for the sacrifices they have made to their agencies, their respective communities, and to the citizens of this great state. We recall in a special way this morning those whose names are newly etched into our California Firefighters Memorial. Our brothers Pat, Robert, Donald, Jack, Gary, David, Greg, John, Clyde, George, Frank, Daniel, Larry, David, Stephen, James, Stephen, Harvey, Mark, Hector, Joseph, Barry, Richard, Rick, Scott, Laofi, Johnny, Phil, and Arthur. First and foremost, Lord, we beg your loving care and kindness upon the families of our fallen that they may be continually comforted and supported by your presence that surrounds them through caring and generous families, friends, and communities. We pray your blessing upon the men and women of the fire service who serve throughout California that you may watch over, protect, and guide our firefighters as they care for this wonderful state. Give your loving reassurance to their family and friends who also yearn for the safety of those who have sworn to protect and care for us. And we ask your blessings up over the citizens of California that we may truly be instruments in building your peaceful reign in our Golden State. And we ask this in your sacred name, amen. Please be seated. Good morning. My name is Lou Paulson. I am the president of the California Professional Firefighters, and I have the honor of also being the chair of the California Fire Foundation, the nonprofit organization that maintains this memorial. I'd like to start by thanking Secretary of State Alex Padilla for his leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. As always, Humberto for the Star Spangled Banner. I'd also like to thank Father Jason Lanza for his invocation. Father Jason and I were talking earlier today about all the praying that we've all done collectively to make sure that today would be just a wonderful day to have this ceremony. And we're thankful to all the combined prayers and whatever work Father Jason did to hold the weather off for a few hours so we can conduct this ceremony outside and give your loved ones a proper memorial. I'd also like to thank some of the many dignitaries that are joining us today. We're, of course, honored by Governor Jerry Brown. We've heard from Secretary of State Padilla. We're honored also to have Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, State Comptroller Betty Yee, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, and also from the state legislature we have Senator Richard Pan, Assemblymember Jim Cooper, Assemblymember Ken Cooley, Assemblymember Devon Mathis, Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez, Assemblymember Jim Frazier. Also joining us here today is Daniel A. Terry, President Emeritus of the California Professional Firefighters, the founding chairman of the California Fire Foundation, and the individual who thought of, dreamed of, put the paper and constructed this memorial on this site. And we're so always happy to have Dan here. I'd also like to recognize the many brothers and sisters that are on duty today. We are live streaming this ceremony to stations throughout the state of California. I know they'd like to be here, but unfortunately, they are protecting the citizens like we do every day in this great state. I know they're here with us in spirit. 12 days ago, I spoke with Jennifer Osler, wife of Ryan Osler, who recently died in the line of duty from the Ventura County Fire Department. Jennifer and her family will be sitting in your chairs next year. As we spoke, we talked about how their family was doing. And she said that her family was getting used to their new normal. That normal was not having Ryan with them any longer. The same new normal that you've all faced. And maybe some of you are trying to still deal with. But today, I'd like all of you and all of us to take a moment to think back to the old normal. The times before you lost your loved one. All those wonderful moments together. I know all of us that worked with your loved ones remember them in those terms. And how fortunate we were to have them as part of our fire service brotherhood. For me, I was lucky enough to experience Jim Martin's smile, a smile you could see a mile away. I look forward to being enveloped in Jim's smile, his good sense of humor, and his laugh. He was truly a wonderful man. And we all watched his dedication and commitment that he had to his family and to his second family, the members of the Fremont Fire Department. What he did for those brothers and sisters in Fremont will long be remembered. The 29 individuals we honor today, your loved ones, went out every day, like the 1,300 names behind me on this wall. And they changed the lives of the people of California. None of them ever considered themselves as heroes. But they lived their life with an uncommon courage that heroes have. A courage that has made our state a better place. Reach searchers have shown that people when asked how they want to be remembered, the overwhelming answer is they want to be remembered that they made a difference. You know, and I know, that the moment your loved one pinned on the badge, they started making a difference. They made a difference every day when they responded to calls. And they made a difference in how they lived their lives. We are here because the people of California want everyone to know that they made the difference in the lives of the citizens of this great state. So let us spend these moments today acknowledging the honor bestowed upon them. Let us remember the normal when they were with us. Let us be thankful for our lives with them, even if it was just for a short while. And finally, let us be at peace knowing that they have paid the ultimate sacrifice while doing the job that they loved. God bless them all. There's always some reason to feel not good enough. And it's hard. It's some distraction. Oh, beautiful relief. Oh, the world keeps on turning, but it's not like before, like each day. This memorial bears witness to the gratitude and the appreciation shown to us every day by the people of the state of California. This gratitude is shared by many people who work in the building behind us, including our next guest. This year, we're honored to have Governor Jerry Brown speak to us. It's the first opportunity I've had to thank Governor Brown, who signed two pieces of legislation to ensure that children of all fallen firefighters will be eligible to realize their dreams and have an education in our public colleges and universities. He also approved a piece of legislation that would guarantee that future generations of our fallen brothers and sisters will occupy the proper place on this memorial site. We're honored and humbled to have the governor of the state of California speaking on behalf of the people of California, Edmund G. Brown, Jr. Thank you, Lou, and it's a privilege and a pleasure to be here to honor the fallen firefighters. I notice you mentioned a few of the bills. There's always more. I do want to say, because I didn't sign them all, I just want to recall I signed my last act as governor in 1982 in Oakland, the first presumption bill that allowed firefighters to recover based on the presumption that cancer was caused in the light of duty. I even think Dan Terry might have been there. Not too many are still around, Dan, so glad to see you here. Anyway, it's really moving to be just a small part of this ceremony in a time of so much acrimony and so much negative thinking and often aspersions about government as the problem. It's good to see where government is really the savior, is the inspiration, the hero, which firefighters represent. So when people talk about government, they often don't think about firefighters. But I want to claim you for government, because it makes us look better in government than we actually are. So thanks. And I also want to say something about the solidarity and the camaraderie that I can feel here and every one of you understand. There's not many parts of our society and much less parts of government service that have that bond, that connection, that spiritual tying together of people joined together in the same enterprise, protecting people at times through fires, emergency, medical situations. This is life and death. And with all the other stuff we do over there down that hall, there's a lot of paper and there's a lot of numbers. But at the end of the day, it is about life and it's about death. And while we're alive, we try to serve one another and feel that bond and that exhilaration of being able to make a difference. And that's what all of you do. And we memorialize and remember those who've gone before us. So we're all part of that. We're part of those who've come before. We're part of those who come after. It's a living stream of service and dedication and heroism. So congratulations and thank you. As the governor mentioned, as firefighters were devoted to duty, which is only matched by our devotion to each other. When we lose a firefighter, whether it's from a traumatic incident or the slow-motion death of a job-related illness, we as firefighters feel that loss as deeply as a member of our own family. Each of you could tell stories about your loved ones and the pain you've felt at their loss. Here to offer one such story is Jeff Dondabedean, captain with the Oxnard Fire Department. It is with a mixture of pride and humility that I stand in front of you today at the California Fall and Firefighters Memorial. I was asked here today because of the passing of my friend and fellow brother, Captain Scott Carroll, of the Oxnard Fire Department. I want to talk to you about what this memorial wall means and why we do what we are doing today. Unfortunately, like many of us, we know more than just one firefighter on this memorial, an academy mate, someone from the ambulance days, or someone we used to fight wild and fires with. About a year ago, I got one of the worst phone calls in my life. I learned that my friend had passed away. Scott was the best of us, always there for anyone at the drop of a hat. He cared so deeply about his brothers and sisters in the fire service. And he set such a great example in how he cared for his family, too. He was a second generation Oxnard firefighter. And because I am one as well, I've always felt closer to Scott because we grew up in the same firehouses that our father served in. Scott also lived passionately and always put those emotions on his sleeve. It was this passion that had him traveling all across the USA to watch baseball, dragging his kids eight hours Arizona to watch one spring training game, kneeling down to console with the victim's family member after someone had passed, or grabbing his gear and equipment and leading his crew into battle and inferno. Scott taught me a couple of great life lessons while he was alive and now in death. Those lessons are to find your passion and do it 1,000%. Scott left this world way too early, like so many here on this wall. But he lived a full life and left a huge impact on all the lives he had touched. It is from my personal experience of this last year that I have a much deeper connection with this firefighter memorial. It is a place where our fallen heroes still talk to us all. They remind us all of what it is to serve, what it is to sacrifice, and what it means to be selfless. It encourages me to keep going, to keep serving to the best of my ability, to keep the people I serve safe, and to keep my skills sharp so that I may perform my duties as heroically as our fallen did. Standing in front of this wall with these firefighters' names engraved in stone for all of us to see and touch, I truly understand that we will all be judged by what we give and not what we take in this life. These brave men and women gave their all so that others may continue to live their dreams and their lives to the fullest. As sad and heartbroken as many of us may be, it is important for us to hold true to that value both now in how we live and how we grieve the loss of our brothers and sisters. As much as the memorial honored the commitment to service from all firefighters, it is also a way for us to honor the sacrifices and commitments from our families. Only those of us who wear the uniform can truly see the sacrifices our families make. The spouses and children are the real heroes of the fire service. Without them, most of us would not be the firefighters or the people that we are. This memorial also serves as a reminder to the families that you have not forgotten, for you are one of us. We immortalize your loved ones in stone for all to see and know. We honor you as much as we honor them. An amazing thing happened during the initial hours, passing weeks and months, and now year of my brothers passing. I got to witness the fire service come around us. They supported us and carried us through our darkest time. My brothers and sisters were there for us and for Scott's family. I look back now with immense pride. It reinforces why we must continue to gather here every year and why this memorial is so important for the survivors and future generations. To the families of our fallen who sacrificed so much and suffered so deeply, I hope you truly know and feel the love and support around you here today and always. You've always been there for us, and now it is our turn to be there for you, as your loved one was there for others and their times of need. As I walked through the memorial yesterday and got to see and touch my friend's name Edgedon Stone for all to see, I felt a warmth replacing the sadness. It was in that moment that I felt more connected to my friend, and this memorial became so much more than just a wall. This is a place where heroes are immortalized in honor of their family, their friends, and their colleagues. We are gathered here to remember them, but more to celebrate them and what they meant to all the life they touched. We will continue to gather here year after year to continue to honor our loved ones that have made the ultimate sacrifice. And for those that, unfortunately, will do so in the future. We will be here for your family, for you, and for each other. We will also be here to remember our fallen for the men and women they were and remember why we must continue our commitments to our communities. Thank you. The musicians who graced our ceremony today, UC Davis, a capella group who sang Angel and Mella Lee for her performance of Falling Star, a song that she and Alexander Burke co-wrote for this California firefighter memorial. Today, 29 names go up on this beautiful, polished limestone mall. To honor each of these fallen heroes, United States flags will be presented to the family members or department representatives. After all the flags are presented, CPF President Emeritus Daniel A. Terry will close our program with the traditional last alarm ceremony. I want to thank you all for joining us today as we honor our fallen colleagues and the families that they leave behind. Joining us to call this year's role of honor is Tracy Hansen, Chief of the Consumers Fire Department and President of the California Fire Chiefs Association. I'd like to take them on with a thank, Tracy. She's stepping away as president of the California Fire Chiefs Association. So this is her last ceremony. She's been a wonderful supporter of this memorial, and we thank her for her dedication, not to this memorial, but to the fire service itself. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you, Lou, for the opportunity to participate in this tribute to our fallen brothers and sisters. Today, 29 firefighters who died in the line of duty will have their sacrifice forever enshrined on the California Firefighter Memorial. For each of these fallen heroes, an American flag is being carried by a firefighter from the department for which they served. These flags will be presented to a family member, friend, or department representative. When the name of each firefighter is called, the person receiving the flag will stand to accept this remembrance and the gratitude of all Californians. Patrick Lee Carpenter, Cal Fire. Robert Allen Lee, Cal Fire. Donald Glenn Cooper, Cal Fire. Jack Young, Cal Fire. Gary M. Stamason, Los Angeles City. David Garrett Leschuk, Cal Fire. Greg Hennessy, Orange County. John G. Murphy, San Francisco. Clyde M. Water-Rye, San Francisco. George Allen Pierce, Newport Beach. Frank W. Tremaine, Jackson. Daniel John Corrigan, Santa Barbara City. Larry Edward Graff, Cal Fire. David E. Amitu Anayi, San Francisco. Stephen Thomas Brozig, Aptos La Selva. James Martin, Fremont. Stephen L. Robinson, Los Angeles City. Harvey Dean Hertzberg, Reading. Mark Allen Domain, Cal Fire. Hector Magallanes, Los Angeles County. Jojo Peter Saves, Los Angeles County. Barry Andrew Rezak, Cal Fire. Richard B. Faust, San Francisco. Rick Gino Zenny, Los Angeles County. Scott Douglas Carroll, Oxnard. Alaw Ife, Fua Lele, Sa'uma'ala, San Francisco. Johnny Mensu Chun, Cal Fire. Phil Ewart, National City. Arthur Monroe Crookman, Cal Fire. The first name on the California Firefighter Memorial is that of James Welch, a San Francisco firefighter who paid the ultimate price in 1851. In Brother Welch's time, the firefighters were called to service by the ringing of a bell. It was a bell that signaled the beginning of that day's new shift. Throughout the day and night, each alarm sounded by the bell, which summoned those brave souls to fight the fire. When the fire was out, it was a bell that signaled the completion of the call. And when the firefighter had died in the line of duty, paying the supreme sacrifice, it was a mournful toll of the bell that announced his passing. Much has changed over the last 160 years, but some traditions still remain as a part of our profession. These traditions reflect honor and respect for those who have given so much and who have served so well. As a tribute to their courage and sacrifice, we ring the last alarm. A special signal of three rings, three times each. It represents the end of our comrades' duties, and then they will be returning to quarters. As it was for Brother Welch, when our state was new, we honor our 40 fallen brothers for their selfless devotion to duty with the last alarm. Their duty's well done, they're going home.