WORCESTER, Mass. - March 7 is a day to remember in the City of Worcester.

In 1990, a mother and her three young children died in an apartment fire on Florence Street. Every March 7 since, the community gathers to honor the lives lost to fire.

"Its sad, but if we don't remember the past, we can't change the future," said Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie.

On Sunday, the community remembered Jeffrey Calcagni and Darryl Massey who died in fires last year.  Their names, along with two other names from 2019, including Lt. Jason Menard, are expected to officially be added sometime this year after pandemic-related delays. 

"Again, I offer my condolences to the Menard family. We grieve with them, we mourn with them,"​ said Chief Lavoie. However, 2020 marked a positive first throughout the state regarding fire deaths. 

"For the first time since they started keeping records,  we haven't lost any children in the state under 18 years old," Chief Lavoie said.

At the ceremony, Chief Lavoie was honored with an award for his hard work. He said it's an award earned by the whole department.

"This award has my name on it, but it's actually deserved by the entire Worcester Fire Department. The men and women of this department are what make it great., Chief Lavoie said. 

The memorial sits at the corner of Main and Agawam streets. It honors those who died, but also serves as a reminder that fire safety, saves lives.

"It is so important. We'd rather have no fire deaths. We don't need to have these memorials," said Chief Lavoie.

It all starts with fire prevention. 

"Check your smoke detectors. Make sure the batteries are fresh," said Billy Breault from Main South Alliance for Public Safety. 

Worcester has already seen three deaths in 2021 after a house fire on Jaques Ave. Their names will be added in 2022.