City to honor fallen service members at Living Flame Memorial service

Police officials saluted the body of Moses Walker Jr. after he was shot and killed in August. (Credit: Rikard Larma/Metro)

Philadelphia’s annual Living Flame Memorial Service will on Wednesday honor fallen police and fire personnel.

Officials with the city, law enforcement and fire service agencies, as well as religious leaders and representatives of civic associations, will on Wednesday gather at Franklin Square Park.

They’ll honor nearly 500 deceased firefighters and police officers, extending back to the 1800s when records were first kept.

Those service members names are inscribed on a plaque at Franklin Square Park’s Living Flame Memorial.

Officials will lay wreaths at the memorial and the families of fallen police and fire heroes will place carnations to pay tribute to their loved ones.

Uniformed police and fire personnel will perform a “Rendering of Honors” comprised of a rifle salute, The Last Alarm, Taps and Amazing Grace.

At the ceremony’s close, three trained doves will be released to honor the three police officers and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty since last May.

The most recent victim is Capt. Michael Goodwin, who was killed in April while battling a blaze at a fabric store in Queen Village.

Officer Moses Walker, Jr. was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in Augustas he walked to the bus stop from work.

Highway Patrol Officer Brian Lorenzo was killed in July while traveling home from work on I-95 in a crash involving an alleged drunk driver.