In 1997, fire service leaders formulated new criteria to determine eligibility for inclusion on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. Line-of-duty deaths shall be determined by the following standards:

1. 1. Deaths of firefighters meeting the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program guidelines, and those cases that appear to meet these guidelines whether or not PSOB staff has adjudicated the specific case prior to the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service; and
      
      
   2. Deaths of firefighters from injuries, heart attacks or illnesses documented to show a direct link to a specific emergency incident or department-mandated training activity.
      
      
2. While PSOB guidelines cover only public safety officers, the Foundation's criteria also include contract firefighters and firefighters employed by a private company, such as those in an industrial brigade, provided the deaths meet the standards listed above.
   
   
3. Some specific cases will be excluded from consideration, such as deaths attributable to suicide, alcohol or substance abuse, and other gross abuses.