National Fallen Firefighters Ceremony This year’s ceremony honored the 446 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2001. Photographs of the firefighters were shown on a large screen onstage and their names were read. In addition, various musicians performed. Last year was the deadliest year in the history of the American fire service because of the number of persons killed in the September 11 collapse of the World Trade Center. The large number of firefighters honored this year necessitated moving the ceremony from Emmitsburg, Maryland to the MCI Center in Washington. close