A service to honor Kent Fire Department engineer Ernie Rideout and other firefighters who gave their lives in 2012 for the communities they served is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, June 2 at the Washington State Capitol Rotunda in Olympia.
The service is sponsored by the Washington State Fire Fighters’ Association, the Washington Fire Chiefs, the Washington Fire Commissioners Association, and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters. The service is open to the public. Gov. Jay Inslee will speak at the service.
The service begins on the front steps of the Capitol Rotunda with a Pipes and Drums led procession and the retrieval of the ribbons embroidered with the names of fallen Washington firefighters. The procession of family members and ribbons will then pass through a corridor of honor and move into the rotunda for the remainder of the ceremony.
Rideout, 57, died June 6 from cancer. Because Rideout’s cancer was determined to have been contracted due to his profession as a firefighter, his death is considered to be a line of duty death, according to a Kent Fire Department media release.
Also in tribute to Rideout, at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 an honor guard of the International Association of Firefighters Motorcycle Group 7th District will arrive at the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority’s headquarters fire station on 116th Avenue Southeast to retrieve the memorial ribbon bearing the name of Rideout.
Rideout’s ribbon will then be carried to South King Fire and Rescue where it will join a memorial ribbon for firefighter John Moncrief. Both firefighters died in the Line of Duty for their respective departments in 2012.
The ribbons will be delivered on Sunday by the motorcycle honor guard to the Washington State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. These ribbons will join the others representing firefighters who have given their lives for their communities in previous years.
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