In 1997, after the funeral of a retired LSFD
member, a group of LSFD firefighters led by
FF/EMT Tom Benjamin approached
then-Assistant Fire Chief (now Chief of
Department) Otto Huber about creating an
honor guard unit within the LSFD to show
respect and dignity at the funerals of
emergency service personnel in the
Cincinnati area.
Chief Huber agreed that starting an
honor guard unit would be beneficial to the
surrounding emergency service community and
the LSFD Honor Guard was born.
The original Honor Guard uniform was
a Civil War era-type that consisted of a
double breasted red blouse and coat with
traditional fire department bell caps and
navy blue pants (see picture below). The
primary uniform color of red was selected to
represent a color of remembrance for those
emergency personnel who have paid the
ultimate sacrifice and lost their life in
the line-of-duty.
The Civil War era-style was chosen to
represent the LSFD’s commitment to NEVER
FORGET.
The department has made an eternal
commitment to never forget the history of
not only our fire department, but of the
fire service as a whole. Many
firefighting and honor guard traditions that
we still use today were developed many years
ago and have only been modified a little to
adapt to modern times. “The Guard”, as it is
known throughout the department today, gives
the LSFD an avenue to express this
commitment.
The individuals listed below
exemplified this characteristic to NEVER
FORGET and worked tirelessly to start the
LSFD Honor Guard and keep it running today.
LSFD Honor Guard Founding Members
Tom Benjamin, Honor Guard Commander
Dan Walsh, Honor Guard Deputy Commander and
Drill Instructor
Mike Books
Brian Dowers
Steve Oughterson
Tom Turner
(L to R): Mike Books, Steve Oughterson, Dan
Walsh, Tom Benjamin, Brian Dowers
“The Guard's” first public appearance was
the City of Loveland's Independence Day
parade on July 4th, 1997.
Soon after that, the Honor Guard
participated in the City of Cincinnati's
Firefighter's Memorial in October 1997.
Unfortunately, “The Guard” attended their
first line-of-duty-death (LODD) funeral in
January 1998 after Firefighter Robert
O’Toole from the Washington Township (OH)
Fire Department was struck by a motorist on
Interstate 675 near Centerville, Ohio.
In the years since “The Guard” has
been invited to
participate at parades, funerals and
ceremonies all over the State of Ohio. The
Honor Guard also handles the ceremonies
during the department’s awards banquet and
the September 11th memorial
services that take place in Loveland.
Some of the notable events that “The
Guard” has participated in are listed below:
LSFD Station 62 Dedication (May
1998)
1998 National Honor Guard
Competition- FDIC Indianapolis
Opening Day Ceremonies of the 123rd
General Assembly of the Ohio Senate (January
1999)
2002 National Honor Guard
Competition- FDIC Indianpolis
Cincinnati FF Oscar Armstrong LODD
Funeral (March 2003)
Presentation of the colors at the
Cincinnati Reds Game (June 2005, June 2006,
June 2007)
Symmes Township Memorial Park
Dedication (April 2006)
LSFD Station 61 Dedication (May
2006)
LSFD Promotional Swearing In
Ceremony (January 2007)
2007 marks the 10th Anniversary
of “The Guard.”
This year also marks a year of
transition and change for the Honor Guard.
With that in mind, the members of the
Honor Guard have designed new uniforms and a
patch that is representative of the history
and tradition of the department and the unit
(see “The Story of the Patch” below).
Several new members have also been selected
by present Guard members and the Chief of
Department to serve on the Honor Guard.
Originally a five-member team, “The
Guard” has been expanded to seven members.
Current
LSFD Honor Guard Members
Tom Benjamin, Honor Guard Commander
Dan Walsh, Honor Guard Deputy
Commander and Drill Instructor
Bryan Brumagen
Chris Ellis
John Hines
Nate Ritchey
John Wolfert
Because
the very nature of a fire department honor
guard is to escort the casket and render
honors at his/her funeral, every move and
gesture must be precise and indicative of
the valor and dedication that was exhibited
by the deceased. To remain sharp and crisp
in their movements, the members of “The
Guard” currently practice twice a month.
The members of the Honor Guard truly
represent the Loveland-Symmes Fire
Department at its highest moments and help
to convey the emotions and sympathies of a
grateful department when we lose a Brother
or Sister firefighter.
"Officium Supremus Ego" has
always been the unofficial creed of the
Guard - "Service Above Self". The
members of “The Guard” are typically not
paid for the time they spend training or for
the details they appear at, although most
everything they do requires a huge time
commitment. However, Honor Guard
members operate knowing that by simply
showing up at events brings a calm and
certain dignity to that event.
The effect that the Honor Guard has
on the family of a fallen firefighter
is impossible to be measure.
When looking up the word “honor” in the
dictionary it reads; “a mark, token, or
gesture of respect or distinction.” That is
exactly what the members of the LSFD’s Honor
Guard strive to achieve - respect and
distinction.
“The
Story of the Patch”
During
“The Guard’s” 10th anniversary
year (2007), a new uniform design was
selected to give the Honor Guard a “fresh
look.”
As part of the new uniform, the
members of the Honor Guard designed a patch
that will be displayed on the shoulder of
the new uniforms. In choosing the colors for
the patch the members kept in mind the color
of the new uniforms.
Since the new uniforms will be navy
blue with red piping the same colors were
chosen for the patch.
The United States and LSFD flags are
same flags that are carried by “The Guard”
each time the unit marches.
The steamer and the accompanying
horses are indicative of the tradition
within our fire department.
The steamer on the patch is an exact
replica of Loveland’s original horse-drawn
steam engine that the LSFD still owns today
(see the “History” page for more
information). The final component of the
patch is the ribbon near the bottom of the
patch.
The ribbon displays the year that the
Honor Guard was founded, so that future
members may NEVER FORGET the history and
tradition of “The Guard.”
