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81 names added to national firefighter memorial

EMMITSBURG, Md., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The names of 81 firefighters from across the nation who died in the line of duty were added National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, officials said.

The annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service to honor firefighters who died during the past year took place Sunday at the memorial in Emmitsburg, Md., The Frederick News-Post reported.

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"Firehouses are places where members of the community can come together in times of joy and in times of tragedy," said keynote speaker Maryland state Congressman Steny Hoyer.

Firefighters "represent the best of America," and that the pain felt by families who lost loved ones in the line of duty is "a pain we all share," Hoyer said.

The names of each firefighter added to the memorial were read aloud, and families of the deceased were given a flag, a personalized badge and a red rose.

"We can never repay that cost, but they will never be forgotten," the Federal Emergency Management Agency's U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell said at the ceremony.

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