DEDICATED TO THE FIREFIGHTERS OF ILLINOIS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN THE LINE OF DUTY AND TO THOSE WHO HEROICALLY SERVE WITH COURAGE, PRIDE AND HONOR.
In 1993 the Illinois Fire Services Association unanimously agreed that a monument should be erected to serve as the official memorial; it was to be located on the grounds adjacent to the state Capitol building. The Memorial will be viewed by thousands of visitors year round. The Firefighting Medal of Honor Committee, appointed by the Governor, assumed the responsibility of bringing the Memorial to reality.
Working with the Secretary of State’s office, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, and a nationally recognized sculptor, the committee developed a design concept to transform the site into a Memorial in which the fire service of Illinois will be proud. The Illinois Firefighter Memorial is dedicated to the firefighters of Illinois, who have given their lives in the line of duty and to those firefighters who heroically serve with courage, pride and honor.
The artist was commissioned to design and construct an original bronze work of art consisting of four life-size figures of firefighters in full gear, a child, a ladder and hose. Each adult figure is approximately 6ft 2in tall if in a standing position and represents the firefighters in full protective clothing, in action.
The art was created through the “lost wax” method of bonze casting and is finished in an antique bronze fire-on patina suitable for exterior exhibition, signed and dated by the artist. The figures are situated on a cairn 14 feet high consisting of Renaissance stone. There are 2,400 red paver bricks which are enclosed by a 2 foot wall with capstones engraved with contributor’s names.
It is here, at the Illinois Firefighter Memorial, that we honor those who have made the supreme sacrifice. The Annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Firefighter Medal of Honor Awards Ceremony is held each year in early May.