Bush pays homage to fallen firefighters

President Bush on Sunday praised fallen firefighters for their dedication and service to the nation.

From the Sept. 11 attacks to Hurricane Katrina, “there were firefighters from around the country there to help,” Bush said at a ceremony to honor those killed on the job.

“The bond between firefighters is obviously unique,” the president said. “It is definitely a source of strength, and it’s a reminder that the work here is a calling, not a job.”

A plaque with the names of 87 who died in the line of duty last year was added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the National Fire Academy. The names of four others killed in earlier years but not honored previously also were added.

“It takes a special kind of person to be a firefighter,” the president said. “When an area becomes too dangerous for everybody else, you take it over. When others are looking for the exits, our firefighters are looking for the way in.”

Plaques surrounding the memorial, created in 1981, show the names of more than 3,100 firefighters, according to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The fallen include five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who died in the Esperanza fire, which destroyed 34 homes in a remote mountain area of Riverside County in November.