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BELL CEREMONY
The men and women of today’s fire service are
confronted with a more dangerous work environment than
ever before. We are forced to continually change our
strategies and tactics to accomplish our tasks.
Our methods may change, but our goals remain the same
as they were in the past, to save lives and to protect
property, sometimes at a terrible cost. This is what
we do, this is our chosen profession, this is the tradition
of the fire fighter.
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The fire service of today is ever changing, but is
steeped in traditions hundreds of years old. One such
tradition is the sound of a bell.
In the past, as fire fighters began their tour of duty,
it was the bell that signaled the beginning of that
day’s shift. Throughout the day and night, each
alarm was sounded by a bell, which summoned these brave
souls to fight fires and to place their lives in jeopardy
for the good of their fellow citizen.
And when the fire was out and the alarm had come to
an end, it was the bell that signaled to all the completion
of that call. When a fire fighter had died it was the
mournful toll of the bell that solemnly announced a
comrade's passing.
We utilize these traditions as symbols, which reflect
honor and respect on those who have given so much and
who have served so well. To symbolize the devotion that
Firefighter had for his duty, a special signal of three
rings, three times each, represents the end of our comrades’
duties and that he will be returning to quarters. And
so, to our fallen brother who has selflessly given his
life for the good of his fellow man, his tasks completed,
his duties well done, to our comrade, his last alarm,
Brother Firefighter you are going home.
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