Following through on commitment to honor Hamilton County’s fallen firefighters

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (THE REPORTER) — In the fall of 2008, the Hamilton County Fallen Firefighters Memorial Committee was formed after conversations with members of both career and volunteer fire departments in Hamilton County, who all expressed a desire to honor the then-three Hamilton County firefighters who had given their lives in the line of duty.

Since the committee’s creation, two additional Hamilton County firefighters have passed away, bringing the total to be honored to five. The committee’s vision is to honor these fallen heroes on the local level in the county seat.

The committee has worked with artists and members of the community to design a memorial that will best illustrate what firefighters do as all-hazard responders. The use of bronze statues and various stones native to Indiana will be used to create a memorial in a common space that truly honors those who gave all to help their community and their fellow citizens.

In addition, a steel beam artifact from the rubble of the World Trade Center (WTC) tragedy will be incorporated in this memorial as a prominent reminder of the terrible loss of life that took place on September 11, 2001, and those who have subsequently died as a result in the years that followed.

In March 2009, after conversations with Hamilton County Commissioners and Council members, the Hamilton County Fallen Firefighters Memorial Committee attended a meeting of the River Walk Inc. Committee. The River Walk Committee approved a memorial to be one of the centerpieces of their county project to construct a park area on the banks of the White River adjacent to the Government and Judicial Center.

The site of the planned memorial’s location is within feet of the area where one firefighter lost his life battling a fire in 1967.

Click here to read more about the memorial.