PITTSBURGH — At least 100 firefighters from the City of Pittsburgh have lost their lives in the line of duty over the course of the department’s history, including one recently.
Now, there’s a memorial being built to honor and educate.
When Channel 11′s Jennifer Tomazic sat down with the firefighters for this story, she had no idea what was to come later that day.
After no line of duty deaths for 20 years, that night Pittsburgh firefighter and Battalion Chief John Walsh died.
His name will appear alongside other Pittsburgh firefighters who have died at fire scenes on a new memorial, but it’s much more than that.
Lt. Sean O’Leary showed us the unveiled plans to build a firefighters memorial at his union hall in Hazelwood. This will be the first memorial in the City of Pittsburgh honoring firefighters who died in the line of duty.
“We wanted a place where other firefighters and family members could come and really see the history of Pittsburgh fire and the firefighters that made that sacrifice,” O’Leary said.
One firefighter statue will be in gear from back in the day and the other will be more modern. Between them, an eternal flame. And above them, names of at least 100 City of Pittsburgh firefighters who died on the job since 1870. Next to their name, a QR code.
“We could really have newspaper clippings, the career stats, the event that occurred-we could fit all that information into an almost unlimited space for that firefighter’s life,” O’Leary said.
“Why’s it so important that you give that context to people?” Tomazic asked.
“They wanted to make sure that it wasn’t just a name on a wall. That it had some kind of grip to it that when somebody left there, they remembered our brothers and sisters that made that ultimate sacrifice,” O’Leary said.
For more than two decades, Pittsburgh Firefighters Local 1 President Ralph Sicuro has faced each call head on, well knowing the dangers. Sadly, he’s now been part of planning three funerals for firefighters who have died during his 27-year career—-two in the Ebeneezer Baptist Church fire, and the most recent of Battalion Chief Walsh.
“It was an up and down of emotions, recognizing that any moment we could be called to a scene and ultimately make that sacrifice. That reality sets home when you are so close to it,” Sicuro said.
“I never really understood the brotherhood and sisterhood of all of this until I got into this,” O’Leary said.
But after 11 years as a firefighter in Pittsburgh, O’Leary not only understands, but wants to make sure others inside and outside the force understand. He and the non-profit Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Foundation are the force behind brining the firefighters line of duty death memorial to Pittsburgh.
“The history of firefighting is what creates the future,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary and Sicuro hope the memorial becomes a destination for all.
“We’re not looking for anything fancy somewhere else, we want it to be here where we can care for it, look out for it 32 and we can always, as we enter and exit our building, remember our brothers and sisters,” Sicuro said.
The Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Foundation is still fundraising for the memorial. They hope to have it done within the year. Click here to help.
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