As time passes after the death of a loved one, survivors begin the process of rebuilding their lives. To help with that, the Foundation holds an annual conference for fire service survivors.

The conference is open to all adult survivors of firefighters who have died in the line of duty and been honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Parents, spouses, siblings, adult children, and other family members have attended previous conferences. The conference itself is provided free of charge. With the help of generous sponsors, the Foundation is also able to provide lodging and a stipend to help with other costs.

The Survivors Conference offers survivors a variety of workshops focusing on wellness, healing, and practical concerns. Previous workshop topics have included children's grief, art therapy, yoga, nutrition, active listening, home maintenance, speech coaching, dating, forgiveness, and self-defense. You choose the topics that suit you best.

During the conference, participants have time to get to know one another and form friendships that can help sustain them long after the conference ends. Join others for evening activities, venture out to nearby shopping and restaurants, and enjoy a day-long excursion and tour of the local area.

The 7th annual Fire Service Survivors Conference will be held February 12-17, 2012, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. If your loved one was honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 2010 or a prior year, you are invited to attend this conference. Please contact Linda Hurley for more information at lhurley@firehero.org or (301) 447-7693.

Here's what a few survivors who attended previous conferences had to say:

We enjoyed our first conference very much. We have met so many caring, helpful people who gave us wonderful support. We are blessed to call you friends. (Mother, Maryland)

It was great to reconnect with old friends and make connections with new friends. I hope that I can help someone in the ways that I am helped. I definitely feel recharged. (Wife, Arkansas)

Thank you to everyone that was part of this conference. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot of good things to help keep me grounded and stress free when things get a little heavy at times. (Sister, Texas)

It was just such a wonderful week. We had the perfect balance of deeper sharing of our stories and struggles with so many opportunities to let our hair down and frolic together. (Wife, Tennessee)