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PRESCOTT, AZ (June 26, 2014) – June 30th will be the one-year anniversary of the tragic loss of the nineteen Granite Mountain Hotshots. Our community will observe the anniversary honoring the memory of these men, who had such a profound impact on all of us, in various ways. Further information available at http://www.CityofPrescott.net or Remembering our Fallen, One-Year Memorial

Proclamation – The City issued an anniversary proclamation on June 24, 2014, designating June 30th in memory of the nineteen Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished. The proclamation included the announcement that the official Prescott Fire Department uniform will henceforth include an orange “19” in honor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. See attachment.

City Services – City offices will close at 3:00 p.m. on June 30th to enable employees to participate in memorial observances.

Courthouse Square Ceremony – The Ceremony will begin at approximately 4:00 p.m. with music, and include various tributes. This ceremony is open to the public and will take place off Gurley Street on the north side of the Courthouse. Please observe any parking restrictions that are in place to facilitate the ceremony.

Memorial Services – The memorial service held at Tim’s Toyota Center on July 9, 2013, will be rebroadcast along with related programming throughout the day on Cable One Access 13, and Prescott Live & Play on Channel 15 (Channel 63 on the digital tier). Those who do not have Cable One or do not live in Prescott can view the program via online streaming at http://www.access13.org.

Tribute Hike – The City Fire Department and Recreation Services Department, along with the Prescott National Forest, have organized activities as part of a Tribute Hike up Thumb Butte Trail #33. This trail was one of the favorite locations of the Granite Mountain Hotshots to train for the fire season. The hike is 1.75 miles and there will be courtesy water stations both at the trailhead and summit. The Prescott National Forest is waiving the day use fees at Thumb Butte on June 30th.

Representatives from the City Fire Department will be at the Thumb Butte summit at 9:00 a.m. to share information about the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the history of wildfires in the Prescott region, and Firewise tips for homeowners and campers. It takes approximately 45 minutes to hike from the trailhead to the summit.

Private graveside services are being held for the families at the Pioneer Home Cemetery from 3:00pm until 5:00pm. These services are not open to the public or news media. We ask that the privacy of the families of the fallen, who have suffered such a tragic loss, be respected.

Reflecting on the past year, our community is deeply appreciative and moved beyond words by the worldwide outpouring of compassion and support for our city, our fire department, and the families of the fallen. The list of organizations and individuals, private and professional, from near and far, who have earned our everlasting appreciation, is endless; you can never know how much your support has meant to us. The City of Prescott and its Fire Department thank all of you.

As the late Eric Marsh, Granite Mountain Hotshots Superintendent, wrote in his annual letter in 2012: “Maybe to answer the question of who we are, it would be helpful to explore who or what we are not. We are not willing to accept being average, we are not quitters” and in addition “we don’t just call ourselves hotshots, we are hotshots in everything that we do…proud and passionate”.

That spirit proudly lives on in our firefighting professionals, as they continue to provide exceptional public safety services to the grateful community of Prescott, Arizona.