N.H. Firefighter/EMT Added to National Fallen Firefighters Memorial

New Hampshire Union Leader

A Lincoln firefighter's name has been added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Maryland.

Steven Bomba, a Lincoln firefighter and Grafton County dispatcher, died in August 2016 on the way home from a police academy graduation. His name, along with 23 others who died in 2016 and 80 who died last year, were read aloud during the 37th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md., on Sunday.

Family members of the deceased were given an American flag flown above the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the U.S. Capitol Dome. They were also presented with a red rose and a special personalized badge, according to a news release.

During the ceremony, a bronze plaque bearing the names of the fallen was added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial.

"Memorials are created so there will always be a special place to remember and honor our loved ones. In 1981, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial was created to pay tribute to these men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice," said Chief Dennis Compton, chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Board of Directors, in a statement. "Everyone who visits the memorial pauses to not only honor the fallen firefighters, but to also honor the strength and courage of their loved ones."

The U.S. Fire Service paid tribute to the lives of 80 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2017, and 23 firefighters who died in previous years—including Bomba—at Sunday's ceremony.

Bomba was killed Aug. 19, 2016, on Interstate 93 in Canterbury when the pickup truck he was a passenger in left the road and slammed into a cluster of trees. He was 25.

He was a 2009 graduate of Lin-Wood High School and then attended Lakes Region Community College in Laconia, majoring in fire science.

Capt. Bomba was a member of the Lincoln Fire Department for over six years. He joined the Explorers at age 17, with his interest in the fire service.

He was also a member of the Campton/Thornton Fire Department, Linwood Ambulance Service, Speedway Safety Services, and was a full-time dispatcher for Grafton County.