May 4 is International Firefighters’ Day, which recognizes and honors the sacrifices made by past and present firefighters to ensure their community is as safe as possible.
It all began in 1999 when Lieutenant JJ Edmonson, an Australian firefighter, set out to honor five firefighters from Linton, Australia who lost their lives while fighting a fire Dec 2, 1998. International Firefighters’ Day is on May 4 because that’s the feast day for St Florian, who is considered the patron saint of firefighters. The red and blue International Firefighters’ Day ribbon, with the blue crossing over the red, symbolizes water over fire.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation encourages residents and businesses to “Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters” from May 4-7 to honor firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.