The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) paid tribute to two fallen firefighters on Wednesday morning with a radio call and moment of silence. To honor their heroism, a radio call was broadcast across all Con Fire radio channels at 8 a.m., followed by a moment of silence. Then at 9 a.m., Con Fire conducted a brief remembrance ceremony at its Memorial Wall on the Training and Safety Campus in Concord.
The full transcript from the radio call follows:
“In the early morning hours of July 21, 2007, Fire Captain Matthew Burton and Fire Engineer Scott Desmond made the ultimate sacrifice. Both men died in the line of duty while making a valiant effort to rescue an elderly couple trapped in their burning home.
The tragic deaths of these two firefighters have left an unimaginable void in the lives of family members.
Matt’s wife Chantel, daughter Megan, and son Joshua, and Scott’s wife Carolyn, son Tyler, and their parents and siblings have suffered a loss that words cannot describe.
Matt and Scott’s other family, the men and women of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, along with countless other members of the fire service from around the state and nation, also feel great sorrow for the tremendous loss of our brothers.
While there is nothing we can do that will change the outcome of that fateful night, we can and must make a solemn pledge to learn the lessons from this tragedy, and to then implement and support changes that are necessary to help prevent a future tragedy.
By doing so, we honor Matt and Scott’s courage, dedication and sacrifice; we help keep them in our hearts by working safely and caring for each other every day; we strive to ensure their deaths will not be in vain.
Scott and Matt you are always in our hearts, and therefore you will never be forgotten.”
Certainly, the memories of the heroic firefighters are now etched in the local community. In April, Con Fire celebrated the opening of its new Fire Station 70 on 23rd Street in San Pablo, which was dedicated in honor of Capt. Burton and Engineer Desmond. A plaque at the station serves as a constant reminder of their sacrifice and service.
“Matt and Scott, you are not forgotten by your brothers and sisters, not today, not any day,” according to Con Fire.
