By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
A short somber ceremony at the downtown Hays Fire Department Sunday was one of the few in-person tributes in observation of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, Oct. 3 and 4.
The coronavirus pandemic forced the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md., to conduct its annual Bells Across America memorial ceremony online.
Other such observations at fire stations across the country also went virtual because of COVID-19 concerns.
Although the public was not invited, Hays Firefighter Justin Choitz organized a local remembrance ceremony Sunday evening in front of the fire house on Main Street.
The tolling of a bell in a specific pattern represents a special message to firefighters, according to Choitz.
"The history of tolling the bell 3 times — 5 times each — comes before telephones, and [emergency] pagers and radios," Choitz said.
"The fire alarm pull boxes that used to be on the corners of streets in America — depending on the location — would tone out a specific tone to a specific fire station.
"And it became universally known that 5 tones with a short pause, 5 tones with another pause, followed up by 5 tones was to signify that there had been a line of duty death," he explained.
Participating in the Hays ceremony were two current firefighters in their dress uniforms and face masks, Lt. Tyler Brungardt and Firefighter Brandon Woods, along with two future firefighters, the young sons of Brungardt.
Noah Brungardt, wearing a T-shirt with "HFD" on the back in big red letters, helped pull the long rope for the final set of five bells, carefully counting each one on his fingers.
"The tolling of the five bells is for the 82 firefighters that we lost [nationally] in 2019," Choitz said.
Sitting on a portable trailer, the large silver bell that rang out 15 times was provided by Thomas More Prep-Marian school. The bell is used to rally school spirit during football games and other activities.
Choitz had invited several retired firefighters to join in the tribute but they declined, worried about COVID-19.
Two Hays firefighters have been killed in the line of duty.
"In November 1919, there was a fuel oil fire downtown," Choitz said. "Several civilian spectators were killed along with two of our firefighters."
A memorial plaque to Stephen Tourtillot and Nichols Arnold is embedded in the north wall of the Main Street fire station.
United States Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in 1992 to lead a nationwide effort to honor the memories of all U.S. firefighters who died in the line of duty and to provide support to their loved ones.
As part of this mission, each October the nonprofit foundation hosts the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, the official national tribute, in Emmitsburg, Md.