The Kansas Fallen Firefighters memorial project is nearing completion just south of the Kansas Firefighters Museum, 1300 S. Broadway.
The museum is located in Old Engine House No. 6, a nearly century-old neighborhood fire station which was recently renovated by volunteer retirees. The museum and memorial are situated on the northwest corner of Lincoln Park and across the railroad corridor from a modern fire station. Dedication is planned for the end of May, 2002.
The project consists of:
A life-size bronze statue of a firefighter discovering the helmet of a comrade amid fire debris
A memorial wall
A ceremonial courtyard of engraved bricks
Ceremonial flagpoles
An antique hand-drawn hose reel
The winged memorial wall is located just south of the Kansas Firefighters Museum and will contain the names of 89 firefighters who have died in the line of duty in Kansas. The names will be engraved on black granite and will have the fire department and date of death. Each of the two sections will be five feet tall by ten feet long. The center portion will also be black granite and will be six feet tall by five feet wide. In the center portion of the wall, the poem, "The Gentle Heroes," will be engraved.
The life-sized bronze statue was the creation of Wichita artist, Dorothy Koelling, whose works also include The Inheritance, at Exploration Place; The Jester, at the entrance to Century II; and Hardship and Dreams, in A. Price Woodard Park.
The statue will be mounted on a black granite pedestal with the face of the firefighter at eye level.
A 50 foot flagpole and stone base saved from the demolition of old WFD Fire Station 9 will be placed near the statue. A United States flag will be flown whenever the museum is open.
The plaza will consist of two parts when completed. Phase I will include the area around the statue and memorial wall and serve as an area for meditation and remembrance. Phase II will be an area just south of Phase I and will be an area suitable for celebrations and ceremonies.
It will be paved with engraved bricks and corporate stones which are being sold as the major means of financing the project. Completion of the Fallen Firefighters Memorial is dependent on donations and the sale of personalized engraved bricks. Bricks may be purchased at the Kansas Firefighters Museum for $30 which includes engraving. There is room for three lines and up to 12 characters per line, depending on width of characters used. If families or organizations order several bricks at the same time, they may be placed together on the plaza.
For information, visit the museum or call 316-264-5990.
"A place to remember and honor those firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man." Walt E. Campbell, President Wichita Retired Firefighters