UPDATED: Kentucky Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service honors 14 ‘selfless heroes’

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 AT 4:45 P.M.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Being a firefighter isn’t for everyone. It’s a calling.

Wednesday, the Kentucky Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Frankfort held its annual service honoring firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

This year is the twentieth anniversary of the memorial. Last year, the service was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year was especially important because we had to recognize the previous two years due to last year’s being cancelled due to COVID,” said Kentucky Firefighters’ Association president Captain Eric Philpot.

Monica Gayheart is the granddaughter of Sergeant Curley Moore of the Left Beaver Fire Department in Floyd County. She says she and her family have waited years for Moore to be honored.

“It’s a blessing, it really is. We’ve waited so long. And he’s so deserving of it. Because, like I said, he put his job first. He loved saving people, he loved fighting fires. That was his number one priority, is getting there to save somebody,” said Gayheart.

According to the Floyd County First Responders Memorial Facebook page, Sergeant Moore died in 1973 while on the way to a fire in the community of Maytown.

While Gayheart says she was too young to remember much about him, she grew up hearing stories from her mother and grandmother.

“He was wholesome, loving, and he was a big family man. And his job came first, because he loved it so much,” said Gayheart.

Moore is one of fourteen fallen firefighters honored this year. Family members and loved ones gathered at the memorial to hear from speakers and honor the new names newly-etched on the memorial.

“It’s a very special honor to be able to be up front and to recognize these firefighters that have fallen and to be there for the families and to support them and give them the support they need,” said Wednesday, the Kentucky Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Frankfort held its annual service honoring firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty,” said Captain Philpot.

The families of the fallen firefighters honored will be able to attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmettsburg, Maryland in October.

ORIGINAL STORY POSTED SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 AT 4:34 P.M.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – The names of 14 “selfless heroes” who died in the line of duty were added to the Kentucky Fallen Firefighters Memorial at Juniper Hill Park on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

“As we add these names and reflect on this day, we must always remember these names represent real people, real Kentuckians, who meant so much to their loved ones, to their friends, to their communities,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “My faith tells me that these are all irreplaceable children of God. Let us be inspired by their lives as we move through our days and remember to live for one another in times of crisis and times of calm.”

The Governor joined Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters, the Kentucky Firefighters Association, the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs, the Kentucky Fire Commission, Franklin County Judge/Executive Huston Wells, Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson, the Franklin County Fire Department and the Frankfort Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department for the 20^th Annual Kentucky Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service.

The ceremony celebrated the lives and legacies of:

• Barbara Bordenkircher, Wickliffe Rural Fire Department;
• Dale Brown, Covington Fire Department;
• Gerald Cox, Priceville Fire Department;
• Virgil Craven, Fulton Fire Department;
• Walter Gay, Berea Fire Department;
• Arthur Henley, New Haven Fire Department;
• Ronald Ingram, Woodford County Fire Department;
• Jonathan Jacobs, Georgetown Fire Department;
• Johnnie Jessie, Greensburg-Green County Fire Department;
• Charles Keller, Louisville Fire Department;
• John Martin, Louisville Fire Department;
• James McKenzie, Pikeville Fire Department;
• Curley Moore, Left Beaver Fire Department; and
• Charles Wilburn, Kentucky Division of Forestry.

“The Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters express our sincerest gratitude to Gov. Beshear for attending this solemn ceremony to recognize those in our profession who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said Joe Baer, president of Kentucky Professional Fire Fighters.

“There are no more essential workers than our first responders: Those who run into a burning building; those who get up every morning, put on their uniforms and leave the safety of their homes and families willing to risk their lives for others,” said Gov. Beshear. “And while we’ve come to expect this of our firefighters, this is the kind of work that takes a heavy toll even in the best of times. It’s important that you know I and my administration are supporting the crucial work Kentucky’s firefighters do in communities across the commonwealth every day.”