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National EMS Memorial Service “Tree of Life” Travels from Colorado to Permanent Home in Virginia

Fri, Jul 10, 2015

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Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue Honor Guard members (left to right) Brandon Murray, Kurt Murray (Honor Guard Commander), Ryan Passera and Gerald Calaway, at the start of their journey from Virginia to pick up the National EMS Memorial Service Tree of Life in Colorado Springs and bring it back to a permanent home in Virginia.

Fredericksburg, Va.—The Tree of Life, one of the most iconic visual elements of the National EMS Memorial Service (NEMSMS) to honor fallen EMS heroes, is going on a road trip from Colorado Springs, Colo., to a new home in Virginia and will be on display in several cities along the way.

Honor Guard members of Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue (CVFR), located in Spotsylvania County, Va., will escort all 23 years of the Tree of Life exhibit in a vehicle with custom signage on a journey to a new permanent home in Virginia. The National EMS Memorial Service will be moving its annual commemorative event from Colorado Springs to Virginia, effective with the service in 2016—a collaborative agreement by the NEMSMS, the National EMS Memorial Foundation and the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride.

Each year, the names of the fallen are etched on bronze leaves of a representation of an oak tree, signifying strength, that is prominently displayed on the stage at the service. Relatives and friends of the honorees often make rubbings of the loved one’s name to honor their sacrifice and to remember their commitment of service to others.

The Tree of Life will leave Colorado Springs on Saturday, July 11. Kurt Murray, Honor Guard Commander for CVFR, his son, Brandon Murray, along with Gerald Calaway and Ryan Passera will make the return trip from Colorado Springs to Virginia from July 12-15, 2015.

As the Tree of Life exhibit makes its way to Virginia, the leaves with the 2015 honorees will be on display briefly in five cities so that EMS providers and the public can pay homage to the brave men and women of our nation’s Emergency Medical Services who gave their lives in the line of duty while serving others.

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Dates, times and locations of scheduled stops are as follows:

Monday, July 13, 9-11 AM (Central) at St. Louis University Hospital, 3635 Vista Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
Monday, July 13, 4-6 PM (Eastern) at Jefferson Memorial Park, Sixth & Jefferson Streets, Louisville, KY 40202
Tuesday, July 14, 9-11 AM (Eastern) at Healthnet Aeromedical Services Training Center, 110 Wyoming St., Charleston, WV 25302
Tuesday, July 14, 4-6 PM (Eastern) at Roanoke Fire-EMS Station 1, 704 Franklin Rd., Roanoke, VA 24016
Wednesday, July 15, 10 AM-Noon (Eastern), at LifeCare Medical Transports 1170 International Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA 22406

There is no charge to see the Tree of Life, but donations will be accepted to help raise funds for a permanent EMS memorial that is being planned to honor Emergency Medical Services workers who gave their lives in the line of duty. Donations for the permanent EMS memorial can be made on Paypal by emailingdonations@nemsms.org, or can be mailed to: National EMS Memorial Service, P.O. Box 279, Oilville, VA 23129.

Photos and updates about the Tree of Life’s journey to Virginia will be posted on the National EMS Memorial Service’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NEMSMS?fref=ts) and on the National EMS Memorial Service website, www.nemsms.org.

According to CVFR’s Chief Kevin Dillard, the Tree of Life will be safely stored at LifeCare Medical Transports while awaiting the 2016 service next June. “Everyone at Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue and LifeCare Medical Transports considers it such an honor to be entrusted as guardians of the Tree of Life,” said Dillard, who was a founder and past president of the National EMS Memorial Service. “The Tree of Life is a treasured symbol of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man, and it deserves our utmost respect. We are so proud to bring it home to Virginia.”

More information about the collaborative efforts to move the National EMS Memorial Service to a permanent home in Virginia and about plans for a permanent EMS memorial will be forthcoming.

About the National EMS Memorial Service:

The National EMS Memorial Service was established to remember and honor those emergency medical services personnel who have died in the line of duty and to recognize the ultimate sacrifice they have made for their fellow man. An all-volunteer effort, the Service is held annually for honorees families supported by participants and Honor Guard members from across the US and includes the National EMS Moment of Silence. For more information, visit www.national-ems-memorial.org. “Like” us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/NEMSMS; Follow us on Twitter at @NEMSMS and @NEMSMSweekend.

About Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue: Chancellor Volunteer Fire & Rescue has served Spotsylvania County for over 50 years. Currently, the organization has over 100 all-volunteer personnel that operate one fire company and two rescue stations throughout the county. For more information, visit www.cvfr.net.

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