The Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial is a non-profit memorial and park dedicated to firefighters from the state of Wisconsin who have died in the line of duty. [1] It is located near Wisconsin Rapids.
The Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial is a non-profit memorial and park dedicated to firefighters from the state of Wisconsin who have died in the line of duty. [1] It is located near Wisconsin Rapids.
The memorial was signed into law in 1996 by Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. [2] It is funded completely by tax deductible donations and no tax money was used for its construction. [3] On October 3, 2003, the Wisconsin Legislature designated the week in which October 8 falls as Fire Prevention week. [4] The Saturday of that week is designated the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial Day; the week also commemorates the Peshtigo Fire and Great Chicago Fire from 1871. [4] [5]
It is located at Ben Hansen Park on Wisconsin Highway 54 / Wisconsin Highway 73 just south of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin and north of Port Edwards, Wisconsin along the Wisconsin River. [6] Locations considered for the memorial included Milwaukee (the state's largest population) and Madison; it was placed at Wisconsin Rapids to be near the center of the state for the easiest possible access for state residents. [3] [7]
The centerpiece of the park is a statue of three life-sized firefighters engaged in a rescue situation. [8] One firefighter is dragging a disabled firefighter with another nearby ready to help. A memorial Final Alarm and Roll Call Ceremony is held each October to honor fallen firefighters in Wisconsin. [1] There are benches for reflection and the American flag flies over the park. [1] A tower with a firefighter's bell commemorates the bell that firefighters historically used to signal the beginning of a new shift and summon firefighters to an alarm and a fire call. [1] The memorial has a smaller bronze statue that it brings to funerals for firefighters who died in the line of duty. [9]
Governor Jim Doyle signed a bill that allows Wisconsin income tax filers to donate money to help fund the memorial. [10] [11] The group has held an annual motorcycle bike ride since 2004 to raise money for a planned visitor's center and to raise money to maintain the center. [12]