Two members of Roanoke County Fire & Rescue’s Honor Guard will participate in the 15th annual Virginia Fallen Firefighters this weekend in Richmond.

Jennifer Sexton tells us:

Lieutenant Toby Martin (currently serves at the Cave Spring Station) will be serving as an Assistant Honor Guard Commander. He has been serving on the committee that plans this event. The day of the event, he and three others will be in charge of the honor guard members from across the Commonwealth participating in the event and will be leading them into the ceremony. The command staff will actually fly the flags over the Capitol and then present the flags to Secretary Decker so that she can present them to the families of the fallen firefighters.

Lieutenant Jeff Yopp, who currently serves at our Fort Lewis Station, will be carrying our Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department Flag in the ceremony.

Here’s the complete press release:

Six Virginia Firefighters to be Honored at Annual Memorial Service

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: – The 15th annual Virginia Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service will be held at 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Richmond Raceway Complex Old Dominion Building. Six firefighters who died in the line of duty or have been recognized by the Virginia Line of Duty Act in the last year will be honored for their bravery and dedicated public service.

The fallen firefighters to be honored are Firefighter David Palmer of Roanoke Fire-EMS, Lieutenant William Brady of Norfolk Fire-Rescue, Battalion Chief Bobbie Slayton of Roanoke Fire-EMS, Captain James Blanchard of James City County Fire Department, Firefighter Jeffery Cocke of Altavista Fire Department, and Firefighter Horace Pendergrass of Fairfax County Fire & Rescue. In addition to honoring recently fallen firefighters, the memorial service will honor the memory of all Virginia firefighters who have given their lives in the service of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This year’s service will include a keynote address by Dr. Denis Onieal, Superintendent of the National Fire Academy, a Virginia Fire Services Honor Guard procession featuring the Saint Andrew’s Legion Pipes and Drums, musical performance by singer songwriter Susan Greenbaum, and a fire apparatus display from fire departments across the state. State flags that have been flown above the Virginia State Capitol will be presented to the families of the fallen firefighters

by Secretary of Public Safety Marla G. Decker.

The families of the fallen firefighters will travel via police escorted motorcade from the SpringHill Suites Richmond Virginia Center on Brook Road to the Richmond International Raceway Complex departing at approximately 10:50 a.m. and following a route that will take them south along Brook Road, east on Azalea Avenue, and south on the Richmond Henrico Turnpike with anticipated arrival at the Raceway at 11:15 a.m.

Submitted by Jennifer Sexton