Offutt Fire Department 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. - (From left) Chaplain (Capt.) Robert Duplease gives the innvocation during the Offutt Fire Department's 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony Sept. 10 in the bay of the fire station while ceremonial guard members Fire Captain Jason Bloom and Firefighter Brent Bergstrom stand at attention. The annual ceremony, held during morning roll call, included the final alarm given to honor firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. According to Station Chief Roger Filter, the tradition of the final alarm, consiting of two sets of five bell rings, dates back to the days of horse and buggy firefighters when alarm boxes were located around cities so people could notify fire departments of fires. They were also used to notify citizens of the death of a firefighter. U.S. Air Force photo by Debbie Aragon