Several hundred people gathered in Ventura County to remember heroic firefighters who died in the line of duty. This 12th annual remembrance ceremony was held Saturday on the lawn surrounding the Ventura County Fallen Firefighters Memorial just outside the Government Center.
During the service, a bell was rung to honor each of the 44 firefighters who gave their lives to protect the people and property of Ventura County. The names of Oxnard Fire Captain Scott Carroll and Ventura County Fire Engineer Ryan Osler were recently etched into the granite of the memorial pedestal that stands below a seven-foot statue of a firefighter holding a small child. Carroll, 48, died last November of a job-related brain aneurysm. Osler, 38, died in a line of duty vehicle accident on the Canyon Fire in Santa Barbara County in September. Surviving family members were given a folded flag to honor their loved ones' memories. Three bells were rung three times to symbolize the firefighters' last call.