HALF-STAFF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When should the flag be flown at half-staff?
What is the proper procedure to fly your flag at half-staff?
Who can order half-staffing?
What about half-staff to honor other citizens?
What if you can't lower your flag?
HALF-STAFF ALERTS
ARIZONA: JUNE 30, 2024 - IN HONOR OF GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS
Governor Katie Hobbs ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Sunday, June 30, 2024, in honor of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives protecting fellow Arizonans from the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. The Governor released the following statement: "Today we honor the memory of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, 19 men who dedicated their lives to public service and public safety. They died protecting others from the Yarnell Hill Fire 11 years ago. We are deeply moved by their service to Arizona, and we will ensure their legacy lives on.” Individuals, businesses, and other organizations are encouraged to join in this tribute.
Regards,
Arizona Department of Administration
MASSACHUSETTS: JUNE 29,2024 - IN HONOR OF US ARMY STAFF SERGENT
Massachusetts Please be advised that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset at all state buildings on Saturday, June 29, 2024, the day of interment, in honor of United States Army Staff Sergeant Johnathon Daniel Maine, of Winchendon, MA, who passed away on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. This gubernatorial order applies to: 1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls. 2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings. 3. All state military installations.
ARIZONA: JUNE 20,2024 - IN HONOR OF DETECTIVE RYAN SO
Governor Katie Hobbs has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday, June 20, 2024 in honor of Scottsdale Police Detective Ryan So, who was killed in the line of duty on June 13, 2024. Governor Hobbs issued the following statement: "I’m heartbroken by the death of Detective Ryan So. My thoughts are with his family and friends, the Scottsdale Police Department and the entire community as they mourn his passing." Individuals, businesses, and other organizations are encouraged to join in this tribute.
Regards,
Arizona Department of Administration
ENTIRE UNITED STATES: MAY 15, 2024 - PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY
Every day, police officers pin on their shields and walk out the door, rushing into harm’s way to keep the rest of us safe. Being a police officer is more than what they do — it is who they are. On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we recognize the incredible courage of our Nation’s police officers and honor the fallen heroes, whose ultimate sacrifice we can never repay.
During the pandemic, States and cities saw violent crime rising as they faced deep cuts in law enforcement and public safety budgets. That is why the American Rescue Plan, one of the first bills I signed as President, provided $350 billion that States could use to keep law enforcement on the beat and communities safe from violence. That led to the largest Federal investment in public safety in our history. Police departments used that funding to establish training facilities, hire more officers, and raise salaries. I also expanded benefits for first responders disabled in the line of duty and for their families. I increased access to mental health resources for police officers, who too often experience emotional and physical trauma on the job. Supporting our police officers with resources they need to do their jobs has paid off. Last year, the United States had one of the lowest rates of violent crime in more than 50 years.
My Administration recognizes that being a police officer is harder than ever. We expect them to be everything to everyone — counselors to people experiencing a crisis, social workers to kids who have been abandoned, and guardians to communities flooded with weapons of war. That is why we have invested in more crisis responders who work alongside police officers to respond to non-violent crimes. We have also increased investments in recruiting, retaining, and training officers and in violence prevention to get guns off the streets. We are working hard to strengthen the bonds of trust between officers and the people they serve. My Budget requests over $10 billion to recruit, train, support, and hire 100,000 additional police officers trained in effective, accountable community policing — working hand in hand with community leaders and local partners to gain trust and advance public safety.
My Administration has also taken historic action to end the scourge of gun violence in America, which puts far too many police officers at risk. To date, my Administration has taken more executive actions to stop the flow of illegal guns than any other administration in history. I formed the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. I appointed the first Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director to lead the agency in over 7 years, who has since led efforts to crack down on gun trafficking, ghost guns, rogue gun dealers, and unlicensed sellers that fuel the flow of illegal firearms. I continue to call on the Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns, fully fund ATF, and pass universal background checks and a national red flag law.
This year, we also honor our Nation’s law enforcement families, who serve and sacrifice alongside their loved ones. Every day, they summon courage as their loved ones put on their badges and leave for work, praying for their safe return home. To those who have lost a loved one who served, I know that no memorial can fill the void left in your heart. But I hope you find solace in knowing that their memory lives on through you, the community they served, and all those that they inspired through their example. Our Nation will never forget their sacrifice.
Last year, I bestowed six law enforcement officers with the Medal of Valor for going to unimaginable lengths to protect their fellow citizens. They exemplified a selflessness of character and a bravery that inspires. On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, let us show our gratitude for all the women and men of our Nation’s law enforcement community, who make extraordinary sacrifices every day. Let us honor the memory of those who have fallen in service to their fellow Americans. Let us recommit to supporting the people in uniform and their families, who ensure the safety of our communities all across the Nation. By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” and the week in which it falls as “Police Week.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2024, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 12 through May 18, 2024, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities and salute our Nation’s brave law enforcement officers and remember their peace officer brothers and sisters who have given their last full measure of devotion in the line of duty. I also call on the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
ARIZONA: MAY 6, 2024 - ARIZONA PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY
Governor Katie Hobbs ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Monday, May 6, in honor of Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Day. Governor Hobbs issued the following statement: “On Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Day, we honor and remember the officers who lived a life of service to others and made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe,” said Governor Hobbs. “We mourn these fallen heroes and ensure that the legacy of their service is forever remembered for generations to come.” Individuals, businesses, and other organizations are encouraged to join in this tribute.
Regards, Arizona Department of Administration
ENTIRE UNITED STATES: MAY 5, 2024 - NATIONAL FALLEN FIRE FIGHTERS MEMORIAL DAY
A Proclamation on National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend,
PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS
I have often said that God made man, and then made firefighters. Their extraordinary courage embodies the best of America — with every call they answer, they put their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe. It is more than what they do; it is who they are. This weekend, we honor the brave service of every fallen hero who has made the ultimate sacrifice for our communities.
Last year, when the First Lady and I visited Maui in the wake of the devastating fires there, we met firefighters who had performed breathtaking acts of heroism, rescuing families and saving lives, even while many of their own homes burned. Over the years, I have had the honor of knowing many like them, and I know their bravery comes at a cost. They respond to hundreds of thousands of fires, medical calls, and other emergencies every year, some of which they were never trained for. As the effects of climate change worsen, local and wildland fire departments are being called to fight deadlier and stronger blazes. Too often, they are also exposed to toxic chemicals not only in smoke, but in their own protective gear, risking their health down the line. It is a dangerous profession, with everything at stake.
Firefighters have always had our backs; as a Nation, we have to have theirs. I know that few things protect firefighters better than more firefighters. That is why, in my first months as President, I signed the American Rescue Plan, getting States and cities the funding needed to hire more firefighters during the pandemic, often boosting pay and keeping these essential heroes on the job. That law also increased Federal firefighting grants by $300 million, paying for hundreds of emergency response vehicles and thousands of sets of turnout gear, while putting more local firefighters in the field.
At the same time, we are making sure more firefighters have the quality health care they deserve. After years of incredible valor battling dangerous flames, cancer is in fact one of the leading causes of death in this community — a silent killer that stays with folks long after the blaze is out. Through our Cancer Moonshot Initiative, my Administration is working to end cancer as we know it. It aims to cut the cancer death rate in half over 25 years by investing in research and development, early detection, and screening, and better supporting patients and their families from the moment of their diagnosis. The Department of Labor has established a new unit to more quickly process claims for Federal firefighters with cancer. We are cracking down on exposure to toxic PFAS — the so-called “forever chemicals” that are used to make firefighting gear, equipment, and suppression agents. We have increased funding for research into the specific PFAS risks that firefighters face, looking for new ways to address them.
When a firefighter is harmed in the line of duty, it is on us all to make sure they get the support they deserve. We have expanded benefits for those who are permanently disabled, and extended them to family members of those who have passed away after experiencing trauma on duty. In 2022, I was proud to sign the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, getting more than 10,000 Federal firefighters and their families critical workers’ compensation and other benefits, by making sure certain heart problems, lung diseases, and cancers are classified as job-related. After years of service, we also have to make sure firefighters get the retirement pay and benefits they have earned. I was proud to sign legislation to keep their disability retirement benefits tax-free. And I will always stand with labor and defend their right to collectively bargain for the good pay, benefits, and safety protections they deserve. This Nation owes every firefighter who gets up each morning and goes to work not knowing if they will make it home. We owe their families. We owe everyone who has ever lost a firefighter that they loved. They lost a piece of their soul. These heroes’ courageous legacy lives on in the communities they kept safe, and in our work to be there for one another the way that they were always there for us.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 4 through May 5, 2024, as National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. On Sunday, May 5, 2024, in accordance with Public Law 107–51, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all Federal office buildings in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities and honor our Nation’s courageous firefighters who gave their lives to keep the rest of us safe. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
MISSOURI: MAY 4, 2024 - IN HONOR OF SERGENT COLIN ARSLANBAS
Governor Mike Parson ordered U.S. and Missouri flags to be flown at half-staff at all government buildings in Missouri from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, May 4, 2024, as a mark of respect for Sergeant Colin Arslanbas.
Sergeant Arslanbas was a United States Marine assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Alpha Company. He was tragically killed in the line of duty while conducting a training exercise off the coast of North Carolina. “We owe a tremendous debt to those who are willing to put their lives on the line to serve our state and country,” Governor Parson said. “Sergeant Arslanbas was a young Missourian who dedicated his life to serving his fellow man, while earning several accommodation medals and advancing to the rank of Sergeant. His dedication to upholding our Constitution and the freedoms we hold dear will never be forgotten. The First Lady and I extend our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Sergeant Arslanbas was a 2019 graduate of Fort Zumwalt West High School. His Marine Corps accolades included the Marine Corps' Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.
