As many as 10,000 people are expected to fill the streets downtown Friday and Saturday night for the celebration and mourning of 311 fallen firefighters.

For the 39th fallen firefighter commemoration ceremony, the annual remembrance at Memorial Park will add the names of firefighters who died in 2024 to the memorial, honoring them in stone.

Curt Crumb, president of Colorado Springs Local 5, the international association representing firefighters, said as many as 10,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, and thousands will gather downtown near Jack Quinn’s pub for an electric and emotional celebration afterward.  

“It should be 5- to 6,000 people in that little block (of Tejon between Pikes Peak and Colorado avenues) that ends in front of the Jack Quinn’s area,” Crumb said. “It’s not that long of an event, but it’s extremely emotional.” 

On both nights at 8 p.m., bag pipers and drummers will march the block, filling the area with solemn song, marking a moment of sorrow and celebration for over 300 families who lost firefighters last year, Crumb said.

Crumb says the annual ceremony is his, and the rest of the Local 5 team’s, favorite event of the year, due to the importance of acknowledging the sacrifice firefighters make. 

“When we work in a profession that can take our lives, it’s important to be able to gather around to support and remember those who have lost their lives. Obviously, (Local 5 is) a small family here locally, but it’s a giant family internationally. So to be able to gather and remember our loved ones is extremely important for the firefighting community,” Crumb said. 

Local 5 plays an important role in organizing the event, Crumb said, and the firefighters on-board do everything in their power to support grieving families. They even provide transportation to families coming from out-of-state, taking care of their every need, but not without getting to know them along the way. 

“Usually we’re meeting under terrible circumstances, but for them to know the men and women of the Colorado Springs Fire Department, our families at Local 5, are here to support them through this, is so important,“ he said. 

Crumb has been a firefighter for over 30 years, and since he started attending and working the memorial event in 1995, he has made lifelong friends, proving to be an important event in his community.

“Two firefighters from Maryland came to my wedding that I met here. We’re friends to this day. When I say this is our favorite week, this is our favorite week,” Crumb said.  

The Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Memorial Park was recommissioned in the late ’80s, expanding to fit the names of thousands more firefighters, Crumb said. The memorial features the names of 9,535 fallen firefighters internationally since 1918. With the 311 names to be added on Saturday morning, the wall will feature 9,846 names.  

In addition to thousands of attendees at the ceremony, 1,100 members of the Canadian firefighter honor guard will participate, Crumb said, honoring the families of lost Canadian firefighters.  

“Being a member of Local 5, this is the highlight of our year. It’s a solemn event, but to get to meet these people and support them is just really incredible. This is our favorite event that we do here,” Crumb said.