Overview
- Federal buildings across the U.S. will lower flags to half-staff on Sunday, May 3, 2026 to honor the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.
- Memorial Weekend events in Emmitsburg, Maryland run May 2–3 at the National Fire Academy and gather families and fire service members to remember the fallen.
- President Donald Trump issued the proclamation under Public Law 107-51, a 2001 statute that mandates this yearly half-staff tribute at federal offices.
- The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation urges participation through Sound the Sirens, Bells Across America, and Light the Night, and asks people to lower flags at homes, businesses, and fire stations on May 3.
- Pennsylvania ordered U.S. and Commonwealth flags to half-staff on Sunday, reflecting wider state support for a tribute to a workforce of about one million and roughly 100 line-of-duty deaths each year.