There’s a tight-knit fraternity among those who don a uniform and serve the public. And when one goes down in the line of duty, all are quick to respond.

All are impacted by the loss and all are ready to help, whether it’s in a professional role or purely ceremonial.

Police and firefighters throughout the region have been called upon too often lately, as six police officers lost their lives while on duty in King and Pierce counties. Among those answering the call in the wake of those tragedies were members of the police and fire departments in Enumclaw and Buckley.

It’s devastating when an officer is killed in the line of duty, said Lt. Eric Sortland, spokesman for the Enumclaw Police Department. It hits close to home, because all officers know they put their lives on the line daily.

The first incident to rattle the region came Nov. 29, when a lone gunman entered a Lakewood coffee shop and gunned down four officers who were simply preparing for their work day.

“It could just as easily have been one of us,” Sortland said. “It could have been any coffee shop.”

Springing into action immediately after the slaying of the four Lakewood officers was Buckley Fire Chief Alan Predmore. He is part of a countywide incident management team that includes representatives from fire and police departments, transportation workers, those in emergency management and more.

The team was activated within hours of the shooting, immediately focusing on coming up with a plan to help the Lakewood Police Department meet its daily obligations to its citizens. The day after the incident, the team was asked to take over planning of the massive memorial service that was to follow.

It was important, Predmore said, to allow everyone to show their support and participate in the ceremony, even if that meant throwing things off schedule. For example, he said, about 1,000 uniformed members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived at the Tacoma Dome for the memorial for the Lakewood officers. Their march into the dome halted the huge vehicle procession and contributed to the ceremony running about an hour late.

But that’s to be expected in such a massive procedure. “There are just so many pieces to it,” Predmore said.

He had the unfortunate responsibility of performing many of the same tasks Jan. 5, when the Tacoma Dome was again the site of a police memorial, this time for Pierce County Deputy Kent Mundell Jr.

“It was important that we not do exactly the same thing,” Predmore said, adding that the goal was the same. “We were there to honor the wishes of the families and the law enforcement agencies.”

For the Lakewood ceremony Buckley had an honor guard participating, an engine company in the procession and a medic unit was present. An engine company joined the procession for Munsell and, again, a medic unit was on hand. Predmore was not able to attend either ceremony, stationed instead at the emergency operations center in Tacoma.

When the Lakewood officers were killed, Sortland said, there was a great deal of police work that needed to be done. Officers were needed to cover regular shifts, some were called upon to provide security at the memorial sites established both at the scene of the shootings and at Lakewood police headquarters, and others were needed to stand guard outside the homes of the fallen officers.

A final duty, Sortland said, was to maintain a vigil with the bodies of the four victims. It’s a police tradition and a sign of respect, he said, that an officer’s body never be alone – not at the scene of the crime, nor at the medical examiner’s office, the funeral home or the cemetery.

“There’s so much honor and tradition and tribute, from the second they pass until they are laid to rest,” Sortland said.

He said Enumclaw officers did their part to ease the burden on the Lakewood department, then showed their respect at the ceremonies.

“It’s an honor to attend and honor these brave men and women,” Sortland said. “During 26 years as a cop, I’ve been to far too many.”

The Enumclaw Fire Department paid its respects by sending an engine to the Lakewood officers’ processional. Last week, a department representative was in the Tacoma Dome for the service for Deputy Mundell.

Chief Jim Arsanto of the Buckley Police Department said his officers spent time in Lakewood, maintaining a police presence at the memorial sites and at the homes of the four victims.

Buckley police also participated in the processionals for the Lakewood officers, Mundell and Grant County Deputy John Bernard. A Buckley team also traveled to Grant County Monday to participate in ceremonies for an officer killed during a traffic accident.

“You do whatever you can to help out,” Arsanto said. “You go and show your respect. That’s what the brotherhood is all about.”