Three County Firefighters Honored at California’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial Over Weekend

Over the weekend, 82 firefighters were added to the California Fire Foundation’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial, which now recognizes over 1000 firefighters from throughout California who have lost their lives in the line of duty, either from injury sustained while on duty or from disease attributed to the job. Of the 82 recognized in Sacramento on October 17, three firefighters from the San Bernardino County Fire Department were memorialized; those individuals are Engineer Eddie Keen, a 30-year firefighter for the County; Captain Vance Caswell of the Victorville Fire Department; and Paid Call Fire Captain Vance Tomaselli, who served in Angelus Oaks. Captain Tomaselli worked for County Fire in Angelus Oaks for 28 years and, during that time, was a mentor for many young and upcoming firefighters. He died in February 2008, when he suffered a stroke while responding to a structure fire. A statement from the San Bernardino County Fire Department (which is overseen by Fire Chief Pat Dennen, a Big Bear High School graduate), reads: “While we mourned the loss of these men, who were good friends to many and brothers to all of us firefighters, we are proud to know that they will be forever remembered on the Fallen Firefighter Memorial.”