Manger Among 103 Firefighters to be Honored at National Ceremony

A firefighter from Presho, SD, will be among those honored Sunday during the 37th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, MD.

The US Fire Service will honor 54-year-old Don Manger who collapsed and died at the scene of a working fire in an unoccupied structure on October 14, 2017. Manger served as Presho’s fire chief for over 20 years and served on the department for more than 35 years. He is among the 80 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2017 and 23 firefighters who died in previous years who will be remembered at the official national service at the National Fire Academy Sunday.

“Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters” events are being held this week around the country. In South Dakota, the state Capitol in Pierre is lit up with a red color to honor the fallen. Fire Departments in Presho, Kennebec, Rapid City, Sturgis, Brookings and Sioux Falls are also reported to be lighting up red this week.

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service helps kick off Fire Prevention Week next week (Oct. 7-13). This year’s theme is “Look. Listen. Learn. Be Aware – fire can happen anywhere.”

For a complete list of fallen firefighters being honored as well as other information, go to www.firehero.org.