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OCALA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Hundreds gathered from across the state of Florida at Ocala's Fire State College on Friday morning for the annual Florida Fallen Firefighter's Memorial Service. Florida's Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal, Jeff Atwater, hosted the event. Carl. A.R. Lommler, of the Longwood Fire Department, and Frank R. Vigh, of the Orange County Fire Department, were memorialized during this year's ceremony.
According to Florida’s Department Of Financial Services, Lommler was the first paid fire chief for the Longwood Fire Department. He also served as a reserve law enforcement officer for the Longwood Police Department, and his dedication to serving his fellow Floridians as an honorable first responder was known by all who knew him.
Vigh was an engineer for the Orange County Fire Department. He dedicated his life to the service of others, and he gave 12 years to the fire service. He was a generational firefighter whose father served for nearly 30 years with the South Bend Indiana Fire Department.
"You've got to open your hearts and feel the pain that the other families are feeling,” said Gloria Reschke, the wife of an honor guard firefighter, “and what their feeling, and why they dedicate their lives to them."
People at Friday’s event told us the memories of those who died in the line of duty will never be forgotten.