Champion drag racer Jay Payne will carry a special message on his FireIce Top Alcohol Funny Car at
this weekend's 24th annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals to honor the 122 men and women who made the
ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty in 2009 that are now listed on the National Fallen
Firefighters Honor Roll.
Since 1981, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has sponsored this official national
tribute to all firefighters who were lost in the previous year. This year's Honor Roll will be
unveiled during ceremonies that take place Oct. 2-4, in Emmitsburg, Md.
"This entire sponsorship with FireIce transcends drag racing in so many ways," said Payne, the 1995
world champion who has 11 divisional crowns and 24 national event wins to his credit. "We've been
honoring various fire departments across the country all year and the response we've gotten from
firefighters has been tremendous.
"For this race we decided to raise awareness for the National Fallen Firefighters Honor Roll,
specifically because one of the men listed on the Honor Roll is Lt. Rafael Vazquez of Palm Beach
County Fire Rescue, who served the county that protects FireIce's corporate headquarters located in
Jupiter, Fla. Bottom line, this guy was a friend of everyone at FireIce and he and the other 121
firefighters on this year's Honor Roll should never be forgotten for what they've done for all of
us. They are true heroes."
FireIce is a subsidiary of GelTech Solutions Inc., a publically-traded corporation (OTCBB: GLTC)
that supports the Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
"I consider it an honor to salute the National Fallen Firefighters Honor Roll this weekend with
Jay's racecar," said GelTech CEO Michael Cordani. "It's been humbling to say the least to see how
much this racecar has positively affected all the firefighters we've met at the various NHRA tour
stops Jay has made.
"We should all remember there are 1.1 million firefighters out there keeping us safe. Some times,
these brave men and women get hurt or even die in the line of duty. It's our obligation as citizens
of this country to honor and remember them. The people with the National Fallen Firefighters Honor
Roll do wonderful work and we're happy to help them."
In an effort to help spread the word about their product and Payne's racecar, FireIce also has
teamed up with FireRescue1.com, the premier source for firefighter news.
