Five Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters will be honored Wednesday, with their names inscribed and added on the memorial wall for fallen firefighters.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the memorial service will start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the LACoFD Headquarters Memorial Wall at 1320 N. Eastern Ave.
Officials expected to attend the ceremony include LACoFD Chief Anthony Marrone, representatives from the LACoFD Memorial Committee, the International Association of Firefighters Local 1014, and the Los Angeles County Association of Chiefs for the 2025 Firefighters’ Memorial Service.
The ceremony will honor five personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department who died while on active duty, from natural causes, or for unspecified reasons, including:
— Firefighter Andrew Pontious, who died in the line of duty on June 14;
— Firefighter Ulysses Duran, who passed away on Jan. 4, 2024 due to unspecified causes;
— Firefighter-Paramedic Joseph Gandara, who died on Nov. 3, 2023, from complications related to cancer;
— Firefighter Specialist William “Bill” Lenzen, who passed away on Dec. 28, 2023 due to unspecified causes; and
— Cpt. Kenneth E. Renz, who lost his life to cancer on April 29, 2023.
”This annual memorial service pays homage to the life and legacy of brave, fallen members who made the ultimate sacrifice,” the LACoFD said in a statement.
Pontious was assigned to Fire Station 93 in Palmdale and served the department and community for 19 years.
Duran retired from the LACoFD after 23 years of dedicated service. He was also a veteran of the United States Army.
Gandara served 35 years with the LACoFD, working at Fire Station 3 in East Los Angeles.
Lenzen joined the LACoFD in 1983 and was promoted to Fire Specialist in 1994, serving the department for 35 years before retiring in 2019.