In honor of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, we asked Arlington Fire Chief James Schwartz to write a guest column.

This weekend, the nation’s fire service will honor those firefighters
 who died in the line of duty during 2009.  The names of 80 fire fighters
 who lost their lives in service to their communities will be added to
 the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in an annual ceremony at 
Emmitsburg, Maryland. The names of 25 firefighters who died in previous
 years will also be added. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which
 was established in 1981, contain the names of more than 3,400 
fire fighters. Firefighters and fire department honor guards from across 
the country will gather to pay tribute to the lives of their fallen
 comrades.