Familes of Firefighters who Died in the Line of Duty Break Ground for the Minnesota Fallen Firefighter Memorial

(MINNEAPOLIS - July 13, 2012) — Families of Minnesota firefighters who died in the line of duty, statewide fire officials, legislators and representatives from memorial designer LEO A DALY broke ground for the Minnesota Fallen Firefighter Memorial in a solemn ceremony at the State Capitol on July 13. Construction will continue throughout the summer, with a dedication ceremony to unveil the new memorial scheduled for Sept. 30, 2012, Minnesota’s newly designated Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day.

Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety Mona Dohman joined family members at the event, including:

• Kristi McCormick, a Hibbing fire equipment operator/paramedic and the granddaughter of Chauncey Pettinelli (from Virginia, Minn.), who died June 16, 1958
• Brandon Hollingsworth, a Brooklyn Park firefighter and son of Thomas K. Hollingsworth (from Robbinsdale), who died Jan. 17, 1984
• Jack Zilliox, a retired Saint Paul Fire Captain and son of John Zilliox (from Saint Paul), who died Nov. 25, 1973
• Linda Delude, widow of Barry Delude (from Minneapolis), who died Feb. 13, 2007; and
• Juanita Rosa, granddaughter of John Harmon (from Renville), who died May 22, 1921.

Since 1881, 208 Minnesota firefighters have died in the line of duty. In 2011, the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation launched an initiative to create a larger, more accessible and interactive memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol to give families, friends, co-workers and community members a permanent location to pay tribute to these men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

LEO A DALY is providing design, project management and cost estimation services to create the new memorial while Westwood Professional Services is responsible for survey and civil engineering. The firms are partnering on a pro-bono basis with the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation.

To pay for some additional construction costs and minor expenses for the Sept. 30 dedication ceremony, the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation is working to raise the final $80,000 over the next few months. There is still time to contribute to the cause: Financial contributions to the Minnesota State Firefighter Memorial fundraising effort can be sent to: Minnesota Fire Service Foundation c/o Flagship Bank, 7525 Office Ridge Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3644. Online contributions can be made at: Click Here. All contributions are tax deductible. Donations exceeding the goal will fund educational scholarships for children of active, retired or deceased firefighters, and for spouses of deceased firefighters.

“This has been a joint effort between firefighters, the business community and the public,” said Martin Scheerer, Past President of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association. “We’ve seen support pour in from all across Minnesota, and we’re particularly proud of the way many of the fire departments across the state have contributed to this important effort.