Honor Guard

In 1997, after the funeral of a retired LSFD member, a group of LSFD firefighters led by then-FF/EMT (now Lieutenant) Tom Benjamin approached then-Assistant Fire Chief (now Chief of Department) Otto Huber about creating an honor guard unit within the LSFD to show respect and dignity at the funerals of emergency service personnel in the Cincinnati area.  Chief Huber agreed that starting an honor guard unit would be beneficial to the surrounding emergency service community and the LSFD Honor Guard was born.  The original Honor Guard uniform was a Civil War era-type that consisted of a double breasted red blouse and coat with traditional fire department bell caps and navy blue pants (see picture below). The primary uniform color of red was selected to represent a color of remembrance for those emergency personnel who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their life in the line-of-duty.  The Civil War era-style was chosen to represent the LSFD’s commitment to NEVER FORGET.  The department has made an eternal commitment to never forget the history of not only our fire department, but of the fire service as a whole.  Many firefighting and honor guard traditions that we still use today were developed many years ago and have only been modified a little to adapt to modern times. “The Guard”, as it is known throughout the department today, gives the LSFD an avenue to express this commitment.  The individuals listed below exemplified this characteristic to NEVER FORGET and worked tirelessly to start the LSFD Honor Guard and keep it running today. 

2007 marked the 10th Anniversary of “The Guard.” This year also served as a year of transition and change for the Honor Guard. With that in mind, the members of the Honor Guard have designed new uniforms and a patch that is representative of the history and tradition of the department and the unit (see “The Story of the Patch” below). Several new members have also been selected by present Guard members and the Chief of Department to serve on the Honor Guard. Originally a five-member team, “The Guard” currently consists of seven members.

Because the very nature of a fire department honor guard is to escort the casket and render honors at his/her funeral, every move and gesture must be precise and indicative of the valor and dedication that was exhibited by the deceased. To remain sharp and crisp in their movements, the members of “The Guard” currently practice twice a month.

The members of the Honor Guard truly represent the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department at its highest moments and help to convey the emotions and sympathies of a grateful department when we lose a Brother or Sister firefighter. "Officium Supremus Ego" has always been the unofficial creed of the Guard - "Service Above Self". The members of “The Guard” are typically not paid for the time they spend training or for the details they appear at, although most everything they do requires a huge time commitment. However, Honor Guard members operate knowing that by simply showing up at events brings a calm and certain dignity to that event. The effect that the Honor Guard has on the family of a fallen firefighter is impossible to be measure. When looking up the word “honor” in the dictionary it reads; “a mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction.” That is exactly what the members of the LSFD’s Honor Guard strive to achieve - respect and distinction.

During "The Guard's" 10th anniversary year (2007), a new uniform design was selected to give the Honor Guard a "fresh look."  As part of the new uniform, the members of the Honor Guard designed a patch that will be displayed on the shoulder of the new uniforms. In choosing the colors for the patch the members kept in mind the color of the new uniforms. Since the new uniforms will be navy blue with red piping the same colors were chosen for the patch. The United States and LSFD flags are same flags that are carried by "The Guard" each time the unit marches.  The steamer and the accompanying horses are indicative of the tradition within our fire department. The steamer on the patch is an exact replica of Loveland's original horse-drawn steam engine that the LSFD still owns today (see the "History" page for more information). The final component of the patch is the ribbon near the bottom of the patch.  The ribbon displays the year that the Honor Guard was founded, so that future members may NEVER FORGET the history and tradition of "The Guard."