Relief President Juan Albarran and several other board members attended a recent dedication at the Metropolitan Fire Communications. The facility’s Dispatch Floor was dedicated to LAFD Captain Matthew McKnight, a 31-year veteran of the Los Angeles City Fire Department who passed away suddenly in 2013 due to a duty-related medical condition. The Relief was there to assist the McKnight family from the beginning, with Chaplain Rick Godinez being part of the family notification. The Relief also assisted Matthew’s wife Sylvia with the planning of the memorial service and fire department requests.
The dedication ceremony also honored five other firefighters who, like Captain McKnight, were assigned to the dispatch section and passed away while on duty. President Albarran found the ceremony to be moving, saying that “the words spoken were truly reflective of the firefighters being memorialized.” Board members Rick Godinez, Doak Smith, David Ortiz, Steve Domanski, LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti were among those in attendance.