KFD fallen firefighter honored in national ceremony this weekend

Kim Dunlap, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

May 3—A special ceremony honoring firefighters who died in the line of duty will take place this weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Every spring, Emmitsburg hosts the national event, titled the "National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend," and it includes a candlelight service on Saturday and a memorial service on Sunday.

This year, one of Kokomo's own will be among the honorees.

Kokomo Fire Department Capt. Marty Meyers was 50 years old when he died in March 2021 from complications due to COVID-19.

Meyers was a 15-year member of KFD and described by those who knew him as humble and diligent in the way he lived his life as a firefighter.

During this weekend's ceremony, Meyers' friends and loved ones will be on hand to recognize and remember Meyers' ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

KFD's Kevin Cox, division chief of communications, will be one of them.

"Marty was a super nice guy," Cox told the Tribune before heading out to the event. "He was a hard worker and a dedicated family man. Everybody that I talked to, in all my years, has talked highly of him. He's just greatly missed by the department."

Cox added that while he's happy Meyers is finally able to be honored, he also admitted it's long overdue.

Because Meyers died of complications with COVID-19, Cox said the federal paperwork to get Meyers recognized as a line of duty death was a lengthy process.

"It was just a waiting game," he said, "but this is big for us, and this is also big for his family."

That's why fallen firefighters, like Meyers, should be remembered and celebrated, not just this weekend, but every day, Cox explained.

"We always want to keep their (the fallen firefighters) names at the forefront of each department," Cox continued. "When somebody passes like that, we want to be there for the family, not just at the funeral, but for the rest of their lives. We want to support them too because they were a large part of what their spouse or parent or whoever it may be did.

"Marty, he wasn't the guy to want the lights and the limelight," he added, "so he'd probably say something like, 'Don't do this for me.' He was humble like that. He was in the trenches of the fires and just went about doing his work. So that's what makes this special to us. That's one of the reasons we wanted to do this. We wanted to see him get the honor he deserves."