The partial federal government shutdown, now in its third month, has receded in large part from public view with war, gas prices and fears of a fragile economy dominating headlines.
For the families of 204 fallen firefighters from 43 states, however, the shutdown has loomed large.
Many of them had hoped to spend the first weekend of May witnessing their loved ones’ names being added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and participating in ceremonies to honor them. But with Department of Homeland Security funding halted because of the shutdown, that event was in jeopardy. The memorial is on the campus of the United States Fire Administration, a DHS entity. Because of the shutdown, the campus has been closed to the public and events there were canceled.
The families and friends of the fallen firefighters lobbied lawmakers for a deal or at least some kind of exception so that the weekend could go ahead as planned.
That effort paid off.
Organizers of the annual event said Monday that despite the funding lapse, DHS is making special arrangements to open the USFA campus for the memorial weekend and for the program to proceed as scheduled.
“We are grateful that we will be able to gather at the National Memorial to honor these heroes and stand with their families,” Victor Stagnaro, chief executive of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, said in a statement. “We are thankful to everyone who helped make it possible for the fire service community and Fire Hero Families to come together in this sacred place during the partial government shutdown.”
Earlier on Monday, 21 House members led by Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Maryland) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire) wrote to DHS urging the agency to open the campus for the memorial.
“The firefighters we recognize this year died in service to others. Their families now carry that legacy forward. They should not be faced with additional uncertainty when traveling to the one place established to honor their loved ones on behalf of an entire grateful nation,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
DHS confirmed the campus would be open for the memorial weekend in a statement. “Despite the ongoing funding lapse, DHS is making special arrangements to ensure the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend can proceed … as scheduled on May 2-3, 2026,” a spokesperson wrote in an email. “The facility will remain closed to the public until appropriations are restored, but the ceremonies will be accommodated. We remain committed to honoring fallen firefighters and supporting their families.”
Built in 1981, the seven-foot-tall stone memorial is surrounded by plaques bearing the names of men and women who gave their lives in service to their communities. Each year, more names are added to the plaques, and parents, children, spouses, other family members and friends travel to participate in the ceremony. To date, 4,970 firefighters are memorialized at the site.
“The campus just brings you a sense of peace,” said Carolyn Phipps, 58, of Mechanicsville, Virginia. “There’s something about being able to walk up to your plaque and rub your hands over your person’s name.”
Phipps’s late husband, career firefighter Jeff Phipps, was honored at the memorial in 2022. He was 50 when he died of occupational-related colon cancer the year before that. Carolyn Phipps has returned to the campus each year since as a volunteer to offer peer support to relatives and friends of fallen firefighters. Having DHS open the facility for the memorial weekend ensures that the loved ones of those being honored this year will have the experience of seeing their loved one’s name placed among those firefighters honored over the past 45 years.
“For some of these families, this may be the only time they can visit the memorial. They may not have the resources to come back,” Phipps said. “To be able to be on the campus is really special.”
Rebecca Noke, of Concord, Massachusetts, found out in January that her late husband, William Noke, would have his name added to the memorial this year. He was diagnosed with cancer two weeks after retiring at 65 and died in 2023 at 67, she said.
“Bill adored his job. He love it only second to me and our family,” Noke said, with a laugh. “To know we can as a family go down and see his name on the wall and it will be there forever, I couldn’t be more proud.”
As this year’s memorial weekend approached, Noke said she worried that it wouldn’t be held on the campus. Her husband had done some of his training there and she wanted to walk on the same ground he once had.
“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t an emotional moment when notification came today that the campus will be accessible for all of us this year,” she said. “What an honor this once in a lifetime experience will be for our family and department families to be on-site.”
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