September 24, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

FIRE DEPARTMENTS ASKED TO CONTINUE

PERIOD OF MOURNING UNTIL OCTOBER 11, 2001

The Shreveport Fire Department will honor the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) requests that all of America's fire and emergency service agencies continue to fly flags at half-staff and shroud their badges until Thursday, October 11, 2001 to mark a formal 30-day period of mourning for the fire and rescue workers lost in the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Due to the nature of the situation at "Ground Zero" in New York City, the IAFC acknowledges that it may never be possible to fully account for all the personnel who responded to the World Trade Center incidents. Although no official date has yet been set for a formal New York memorial service for the fallen firefighters and rescue workers involved in the tragic incidents, the recognition of a set 30-day period should provide a formal time frame for observance. The Shreveport Fire Department is hosting a regional Memorial service for their fallen brother firefighters and other emergency workers tomorrow, the two-week anniversary on the attack on New York and Washington, at the Municipal Auditorium at 5:30 p.m.

Chief John Buckman, president of the IAFC, said today "Although President Bush's 'national period of mourning' may have ended, it is certainly not over for those of us in the fire service. It's important that the fire and emergency service join together as a whole to continue to show our support and respect for our fallen comrades," Buckman stated, "and it will be important to mark this sad period in our history with some closure for all of us as well."