Tacoma firefighters will stage procession, memorial Saturday for fallen colleague

A public memorial service for a Tacoma firefighter who died from duty-related cancer will be held Saturday, March 11, at the Tacoma Dome. A procession through downtown Tacoma will precede the memorial.

Robert “Bo” Schiemer, 46, died Jan. 29 from a form of cancer that state law identifies as an occupational disease for firefighters, Tacoma Fire Department spokesman Joe Meinecke said Thursday.

Schiemer had been a Tacoma firefighter for 11 years and was most recently assigned to the ladder truck at Tacoma Fire Station 1.

The service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in the Dome’s Exhibition Hall.

Procession route

Motorists can expect brief traffic delays along the procession route between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturday, the city said.

The route will begin at South 9th and Fawcett and travel to the Dome via South 11th Street, Pacific Avenue, Puyallup Avenue and East D Street.

The service will be broadcast live on TV Tacoma and streamed on tvtacoma.org.