East Pierce Fire and Rescue will host a dedication of a memorial wall to honor the life of Fire Chief Dan Packer at the headquarters station on Old Buckley Highway, in Bonney Lake during an observance of the third anniversary of Packer’s death. The public is invited to attend the event that starts at 8:30 a.m. July 26.

Packer died in a wildfire in northern California. The 49-year-old chief had just begun a two-week assignment as a division supervisor overseeing wildland firefighters in the Klamath National Forest when the blaze suddenly blew up during a routine survey of the area.

The memorial wall, located at the headquarters station, consists of two display cases that contain items from Packer’s personal and professional life, as well as objects from the accident and subsequent memorial service.

“We are especially grateful to the Packer family for their generosity in loaning us numerous personal items for display,” said East Pierce Deputy Chief John McDonald.

At 8:00 a.m., the public is invited to join East Pierce personnel, family and friends as they gather in front of the headquarters station, at 18421 Old Buckley Highway. On-duty personnel will assemble at the same time in front of their respective stations.

At 8:30 a.m., dispatchers for the fire district will broadcast a message to all of the East Pierce stations regarding Packer, ending with a moment of silence to honor him and all fire service personnel who have lost their lives in the performance of their duties.

At the completion of the message, all station flags are to be lowered to half-staff. A reception will follow at the headquarters station.

“This agency—that we are all privileged to be members of—exists in large part due to the vision and hard work of Chief Packer,” McDonald said. “For those who worked for him, respected him and loved him, his spirit lives on in each of us.”