Presidential Document2024-10532
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, 2024
Primary source
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Published
May 13, 2024
Signed
May 3, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 93 (Monday, May 13, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 93 (Monday, May 13, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 41295-41296]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10532]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 93 / Monday, May 13, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 41295]]
Proclamation 10751 of May 3, 2024
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend,
2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
I have often said that God made man, and then made
firefighters. Their extraordinary courage embodies the
best of America--with every call they answer, they put
their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe. It
is more than what they do; it is who they are. This
weekend, we honor the brave service of every fallen
hero who has made the ultimate sacrifice for our
communities.
Last year, when the First Lady and I visited Maui in
the wake of the devastating fires there, we met
firefighters who had performed breathtaking acts of
heroism, rescuing families and saving lives, even while
many of their own homes burned. Over the years, I have
had the honor of knowing many like them, and I know
their bravery comes at a cost. They respond to hundreds
of thousands of fires, medical calls, and other
emergencies every year, some of which they were never
trained for. As the effects of climate change worsen,
local and wildland fire departments are being called to
fight deadlier and stronger blazes. Too often, they are
also exposed to toxic chemicals not only in smoke, but
in their own protective gear, risking their health down
the line. It is a dangerous profession, with everything
at stake.
Firefighters have always had our backs; as a Nation, we
have to have theirs. I know that few things protect
firefighters better than more firefighters. That is
why, in my first months as President, I signed the
American Rescue Plan, getting States and cities the
funding needed to hire more firefighters during the
pandemic, often boosting pay and keeping these
essential heroes on the job. That law also increased
Federal firefighting grants by $300 million, paying for
hundreds of emergency response vehicles and thousands
of sets of turnout gear, while putting more local
firefighters in the field.
At the same time, we are making sure more firefighters
have the quality health care they deserve. After years
of incredible valor battling dangerous flames, cancer
is in fact one of the leading causes of death in this
community--a silent killer that stays with folks long
after the blaze is out. Through our Cancer Moonshot
Initiative, my Administration is working to end cancer
as we know it. It aims to cut the cancer death rate in
half over 25 years by investing in research and
development, early detection, and screening, and better
supporting patients and their families from the moment
of their diagnosis. The Department of Labor has
established a new unit to more quickly process claims
for Federal firefighters with cancer. We are cracking
down on exposure to toxic PFAS--the so-called ``forever
chemicals'' that are used to make firefighting gear,
equipment, and suppression agents. We have increased
funding for research into the specific PFAS risks that
firefighters face, looking for new ways to address
them.
When a firefighter is harmed in the line of duty, it is
on us all to make sure they get the support they
deserve. We have expanded benefits for those who are
permanently disabled, and extended them to family
members of those who have passed away after
experiencing trauma on duty. In 2022, I was proud to
sign the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, getting
more
[[Page 41296]]
than 10,000 Federal firefighters and their families
critical workers' compensation and other benefits, by
making sure certain heart problems, lung diseases, and
cancers are classified as job-related. After years of
service, we also have to make sure firefighters get the
retirement pay and benefits they have earned. I was
proud to sign legislation to keep their disability
retirement benefits tax-free. And I will always stand
with labor and defend their right to collectively
bargain for the good pay, benefits, and safety
protections they deserve. This Nation owes every
firefighter who gets up each morning and goes to work
not knowing if they will make it home. We owe their
families. We owe everyone who has ever lost a
firefighter that they loved. They lost a piece of their
soul. These heroes' courageous legacy lives on in the
communities they kept safe, and in our work to be there
for one another the way that they were always there for
us.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 4
through May 5, 2024, as National Fallen Firefighters
Memorial Weekend. On Sunday, May 5, 2024, in accordance
with Public Law 107-51, the flag of the United States
will be flown at half-staff at all Federal office
buildings in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters
Memorial Service. I call upon all Americans to observe
these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities
and honor our Nation's courageous firefighters who gave
their lives to keep the rest of us safe.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand
twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-10532
Filed 5-10-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 13, 2024.
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