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Marylanders Honor Fallen Heroes, Including James Bethea, On May 1

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- May 1 will mark the thirtieth year Maryland has remembered Fallen Heroes Day, a tribute to the first responders who died in the line of duty.

Alex DeMetrick reports it's often hardest on those who have suffered the most recent losses.

Whether police officer, firefighter or paramedic, those who died in the line of duty are remembered on Fallen Heroes Day---and every year, it seems new names are added to the memorial at Dulaney Valley Gardens.

This year, Dr. Brenda Pridgen's husband's name will be added.

"It's very difficult to talk about this event, because it reminds you of November 12, which is just as painful today as it was then," Pridgen said.

November 12, 2014, was the day Lt. James Bethea died. He was killed in a rowhouse fire in Baltimore. As the fire department's safety officer, his job was to make sure everyone else got out OK. Everyone did---except James Bethea.

"He was a remarkable human being. He loved firefighting; he loved being a safety officer," Pridgen said.

In return, the department honored that commitment and sacrifice---a very public display while his family, a wife, son and a young grandson, dealt privately with their grief. They're now the newest family to join others on Fallen Heroes Day.

"It's just a moment for all of us to come together, see each other and support each other," said Melissa Ayala, a police officer's widow.

Setting aside one day to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty highlights the risks taken every day.

"I think it's important for people to give pause to all the people who go out there every day to assist others, to go into risky situations and sometimes, at their own peril, may not even survive," Pridgen said.

Lt. Bethea served 41 years with the Baltimore Fire Department. He will be remembered May 1, along with five other first responders who died in the line of duty in Maryland last year.

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