Bell ceremony during celebration of life for Scottsdale Fire Captain Kory Yule

The Bell Ceremony. The men and women of today's fire service are confronted with a more dangerous work environment than ever before. We are forced to continually change our strategies and tactics to accomplish our tasks. Our methods may change, but our goals remain the same as they were in the past. To save lives, to protect property, and sometimes at a terrible cost. This is what we do, this is our chosen profession, and this is the tradition of being a firefighter. Even though the fire service of today is ever-changing, it is steeped in traditions of over 200 years old. One such tradition is the ringing of the bell. In the past, as firefighters began their tour of duty, it was the bell that signaled the beginning of that day's shift. Throughout the day and the night, each alarm was sounded by a bell, which summoned these brave souls to fight fires and place their lives in jeopardy for the good of their fellow citizens. And when the fire was out, the alarm had come to an end, it was the bell that signaled to all the completion of the call. When a firefighter died, paying the supreme sacrifice, it was the mournful toll of the bell that solemnly announced a brother or sister had passed. We utilize these traditions as symbols, which reflect honor and respect to those who have given so much and who have served so well. To symbolize the devotion that these brave souls had for their duty, a special signal of three rings, three times, was adopted from Roman times. These three tolls represent the end of our brother or sister's duty, their tour complete, and that they will be returning home. And so, to those who have selflessly dedicated their lives to serving others, their tasks complete, their duties done, we sound the bell.