Eight Gloucester firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty, the last in 1982.
And on Sunday, the Gloucester Fire Department paid tribute to each of them and to all of their other fellow firefighters who have passed away since that time, through carrying on a Gloucester tradition that dates to the 1880s,
The event was the annual Gloucester Firefighters Memorial Sunday parade and ceremony — now part of a national Firefighters Memorial Sunday recognition that drew parades and services Sunday in Rockport and Essex as well.
State Sen. Bruce Tarr served as speaker for the Gloucester program, which began with the Fire Department parading from the city's Public Works yard on Poplar Street to the local firefighters' memorial in Cherry Hill Cemetery adjacent to Addison Gilbert Hospital.
The Gloucester program is sponsored each year by the Gloucester Firefighters Relief Association headed by longtime firefighter Mike Chipperini. The association provides assistance to families of deceased GFD members, and carries out other services, including placing flags on firefighters' graves for Memorial Day.
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