16th Annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial

On September 26, 2022, firefighters, family, and friends gathered in Concord (NH) at the New Hampshire Fallen Firefighters Memorial’s 16th annual ceremony. The ceremony reflects and honors the 92 New Hampshire firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty serving their communities over the years.

The name of Jeffrey Whitcomb, a former Littleton fire Captain a nd senior instructor at the fire academy, was added to the memoria l. Captain Whitcomb died in the line of duty in an October 2021 training accident. Whitcomb joined the Littleton Fire Department in 1990 after serving four years in the US Navy. He retired as a Captain in 2015 and taught hundreds of first responders at the regional Career and Technical Education Center, and the New Hampshire Fire Academy.

State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said Jeff dedicated more than 25 years to the New Hampshire fire service. He thought it was important to recognize him and his family for their contributions.

Carlene Whitcomb, Jeff’s wife, said the ceremony was lovely and she was honored to have been there to see the respect shown to her husband. She said the family was thrilled and the fire service had been very good to the family.

The memorial was created and dedicated in September 2006. Recently, a team of volunteers and local companies made signifi cant upgrades to the memorial that needed repairs. The repairs will stabilize the memorial and add sustainability. Funding for the memorial c omes mostly from private and business donations. The memorial only receives a small amount of funding from the state.

The New Hampshire State Firemens Association provides ongoing service and maintenance to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Concord. - Fire News photos by Jeffrey Hastings