Excerpts from fox32chicago.com:

The Chicago Fire Department hosted the National EMS Memorial Service procession on Wednesday morning as part of their cross-country trip to Arlington, Virginia.

Fifty-nine fallen emergency medical services personnel were honored during a stop on the route at Firefighter Memorial Park near the lakefront trail.

The procession marks the countdown to the National EMS Memorial Service and Weekend of Honor which recognizes EMS personne who have died in the line of duty.

The National EMS Memorial Service was founded in 1993. Their mission is to build a National EMS Memorial in Washington D.C. that will “commemorate the ongoing commitment, service and sacrifice of the Nation’s Emergency Medical Services providers killed, injured, or disabled in the line of duty and for all those that continue to serve.”