RICHMOND, Va. β The Commonwealth Public Safety Memorial will honor 19 new fallen heroes Saturday, including a Henrico County firefighter whose legacy extends far beyond his decades of service.
Lieutenant Willis "Buddy" Barnes, who served Henrico Fire for more than 30 years before retiring in 2017, will be among those memorialized at the ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. at the Capitol grounds.
Barnes died in 2022 of esophageal cancer, a disease that has become the leading cause of death among firefighters.
"It's synthetics, it's oil-based products. They're releasing just a carcinogenic soup, we call it, of chemicals," said William Boger, president of the Henrico Professional Firefighters Association.
Barnes was instrumental in developing Henrico County's HAZMAT program from its inception, working out of Station 21 for much of his career.
"He had been a part of this HAZMAT program, really, since its inception," said Deputy Chief Jim Courtney.
Captain David Newell, who worked alongside Barnes, said the veteran firefighter was a mentor to many.
"I learned a lot from him to try to rely on his experience to make my shift a little bit better," Newell said.
Courtney described Barnes as a family man who was skilled with his hands and deeply committed to the fire department.
"He was great with his hands, very mechanical guy. Like I said, family man. Loved his family. Loved the fire department and was just a mentor to, a mentor to a lot of people," Courtney said.
To honor Barnes' contributions, Henrico County placed his name on the side of the HAZMAT truck he helped design. This rare recognition has been given to only one other firefighter in the county: Stephen Whitson, who died of a heart attack.
"Speaks to his standing in the agency and the way that people felt about him and thought of him," Courtney said.
Barnes' death sparked advocacy efforts that led to "Buddy's Bill," legislation that recognizes certain cancers for workers' compensation coverage for firefighters.
"That's helped not only Buddy, but other firefighters across the state that may develop their certain cancers," Boger said.
However, Barnes himself was not eligible for compensation because his cancer was diagnosed more than five years after potential exposure.
"Unfortunately, you know, a lot of these cancers take a lot longer to develop, so Buddy's was deemed that it was not compensable because it was past five years," Boger said.
Advocates continue pushing for expanded cancer screening programs for firefighters and extended benefit periods for families after retirement. The Commonwealth Public Safety Memorial, located in the northwest corner of the Capitol grounds, honors public safety officers including police, fire and National Guard members who died in the line of duty.
"Long time in the works and I think we're all just glad to see it come to fruition and honor him for the service that he that he gave," Courtney said.
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