In Photos: Fallen Firefighter Gary Helming Remembered

Fire service members stand at attention waiting for the remains of US Forest Service Battalion Chief Gary Helming, at the funeral service, at Pacific Christian Center in Santa Maria.

The life of Los Padres National Forest Battalion Chief Gary Helming was honored with an open-to-the-public memorial service on 9/6 at the Pacific Christian Center, in Santa Maria. Helming died in a vehicle collision on August 31 while returning from a wildfire on the Sierra National Forest. Helming, 47, started with the Forest Service 22 years ago as a seasonal firefighter, and worked for the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service before returning to the Forest Service in 2013.