Glendale Heights golf tourney supports families of fallen firefighters

They're called survivors, the loved ones of firefighters who died on the job.

And they gathered Friday at the first hole at Glendale Lakes Golf Club in Glendale Heights to share stories about "their firefighter," Addison Lt. Roger Bayne said.

"That pain just stays with you every day," Bayne said.

Those stories were a reminder of why nearly 145 golfers - many firefighters themselves - teed off in a tournament Bayne helps organize with other volunteers. They hoped to raise $50,000 for National Fallen Firefighters Foundation programs that help families through their grief and offer financial assistance and scholarships.

"That's the key, to make sure our families are taken care of if we should ever pay the ultimate price," Bayne said.

Regional tournaments are held across the country, but the Glendale Heights version was the top fundraiser, garnering $45,000 last year for the foundation.

"It definitely captures the brotherhood and sisterhood, the camaraderie," Bayne said. "It just brings everybody together."

On the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - when 343 firefighters died - the tournament began with a solemn ceremony. Golfers entered the course beneath a giant American flag draped between two ladder trucks.

The tournament ended with dinner, awards and, Bayne hoped, a better awareness of the foundation's work. The nonprofit group also educates and trains firefighters on preventing injuries and deaths in a job that averages about 100 fatalities a year.

"It is just so near and dear for us," Bayne said.