The families of fallen emergency medical services personnel will gather this weekend in Colorado Springs, the new home to the National EMS Memorial.

The Springs’ picturesque setting and “cosmopolitan but small” feel were among several reasons why it was chosen over 40 other cities to host the annual event and maintain a memorial.

“The folks in this city seem to understand the concept of giving tribute to our fallen. That’s not something you find everywhere,” said Kevin Agard, EMS Memorial director.

The Kansas City metropolitan area and Washington, D.C., were the other finalists.

Friday, 75 bike riders will travel from the AirLife Memorial Park in Littleton to Antler’s Park in Colorado Springs, where a welcome ceremony will be held for the families of the fallen. Saturday evening, 26 fallen EMS providers from 17 states who died in 2009 will be honored at a 6 p.m. ceremony at First Presbyterian Church, 219 E. Bijou St.

“The service tends to bring a great deal of closure for family members,” Agard said.

By 2012, a memorial will be constructed in Memorial Park between the Aquatics Center and Prospect Lake, with the names of more than 500 EMS providers who died on the job. None are from Colorado Springs, but there are several from Denver, Steamboat Springs and Alamosa, according to Tanya Silloway, spokeswoman for American Medical Response.

The memorial had been in a museum in Roanoke, Va., since 1992, but had to find a new home when the museum closed.

Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley will be entering his 12th NFL season come this August. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS