OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A fallen Whatcom County firefighting trailblazer will be honored in Olympia this weekend.

Lieutenant Leslee Smith will be among eight honorees at this year’s Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Olympia on Sunday.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that Smith passed away from work-related cancer in March of 2024.

She was the first woman to serve as a career firefighter with North Whatcom Fire and Rescue. Smith also served as a volunteer with the Blaine Fire Department prior to its merger with North Whatcom in 1999.

The memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the state capitol’s West Campus.