DeKalb County hosts 9-11 memorial ceremony, shares GoFundMe to support family of fallen Firefighter Preston Fant

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—As the nation remembered the 2,977 lives lost and first responders in the terrorist suicide attacks carried out against the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, DeKalb County also honored its local first responders who have died in the line of duty.

County leaders, firefighters, and police officers gathered at Fire Rescue and Police Headquarters for a 9/11 Memorial Ceremony to remember the risks that first responders face every day, paying tribute to fallen Firefighter Preston Fant, who died trying to save a colleague while battling a commercial warehouse fire on Sept. 8, 2025. 

Fant, a 21-year veteranDeKalb  firefighter, is survived by his wife and five children.  He was 53 years old.

County officials announced a GoFundMe page to offer immediate support to Fant’s family in addition to the benefits and support provided by DeKalb County and the State of Georgia to fallen first responders to ensure their care and well-being in the months and years ahead. County officials said the public has overwhelmingly expressed a desire to offer immediate support to Firefighter Fant’s family.

The county stated in a news release: “Out of respect for those requests, we are sharing the family’s official GoFundMe page: Fundraiser by Percy Dixon : Remembering Preston Fant, A True Hero.”