Vincent Perez and Anthony Valerio, honored today for giving their lives in the line of duty with the San Francisco Fire Department, are the 146th and 147th casualties in the San Francisco Fire Department’s 160-year history, according to the U.S. Fire Administration’s memorial database.
They were the first casualties since 2003, when Melinda Ohler died after falling off the fire truck she was riding in as she traveled along a right-handed curve on a freeway on-ramp.
Only six firemen have died on the job in the last two decades.
The last time the department saw more than one firefighter die within hours of each other was Oct. 20, 1964, when Thomas Finery, Dennis Kinsey and Albert Gheno died fighting different fires in the city on the same day.
