WHY A NEW MEMORIAL

Every day, hundreds of men and woman across Nevada step out of the comfort of home and into the boots reserved for those called to “the job.” And sometimes they don’t return. In 2020 alone, 96 U.S. firefighters were killed in the line of duty. Someone’s child, father, mother, neighbor, and friend paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect life and property.

Nevada firefighters are always among the lost, but the Professional Firefighters of Nevada are working to ensure they are not forgotten.

OUR VISION FOR THE FALLEN

For years PFFN has dreamed of building a new memorial fit to honor our fallen brothers and sisters. We want to create a place of reverence for the families and community to come and not only remember the fallen heroes, but also celebrate their legacy and discover another side of the fire service they may not know existed.

It’s important for us as firefighters to have a place to come and recognize them, but to also enable generations of families, who may not have known their grandmother, their grandfather, their brother, their cousin, to come and learn about their sacrifice.”

Todd Ingalsbee – President, Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada

So we began a campaign to raise money dedicated to creating a piece worthy of the fallen, and commissioned renowned sculptor and fellow firefighter and EMT, Austin Weishel, to bring the memorial to life.

Eternal Valor

The memorial, named Eternal Valor, will feature five bronzed life-size firefighters in the line of duty:
a captain, a nozzleman and three firefighter men and women, saving one of their own.

They won’t just be life-size, they’ll be lifelike, with no detail left untouched. From the gear they wear, to the determination in their eyes, visitors will be able to walk among the statues, touch the creases in the turnouts, see the grit in their jawlines, and feel the passion from which they were cast.

The Helmets

As visitors get close, they may notice numbers emblazoned on each of the shields within firefighter’s helmets. Those numbers are no accident:

The Wall

The five bronze statues will be flanked by walls of black granite that will hold the names of each fallen firefighter, as well as of distinguished men and woman within the fire service. The site will also feature the names of donors whose generosity was paramount to completing the memorial.

The Beam

A massive steel beam from the site of 9/11 will be placed between the granite walls as an everlasting reminder of the courage it takes to be a firefighter, and the potential fate each one may face on the job.

The Interaction

PFFN is determined for the names to be more than letters engraved on a wall; we want them to be engraved in your memory. When the site is done, visitors will be able to scan part of the wall from their mobile device and receive a history of every firefighter who died in the line of duty.

LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION.

In 2017 Nevada firefighters were granted a piece of land on the historic grounds of the Capital Complex in Carson City, Nevada. In the heart of downtown, the memorial will rest on property located next to the Governor’s mansion, directly in front of Nevada’s supreme court building and adjacent to the legislative building where members of PFFN go to fight for the rights of our fellow firefighters. This revered property, visited by thousands of men, women, children, families and legislatures each year, is also home to the police memorial.

It’s an incredible location. It offers an heir of respect for the members that will be honored on the memorial. It will be truly something special.

Angelo Aragon – retired fire captain and former PFFN President

We thought we could do this on our own and launched a campaign to raise approximately $1 million dollars to cover the cost of the decommissioning the old memorial and building the new memorial.

To date, we have raised nearly $570,000 from our own pockets, but it’s not enough to make our dream a reality.

HOW YOU CAN HONOR THE FALLEN

If you’d like to be an everlasting part of Nevada firefighter history, please consider a financial contribution in support of the men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our community safe.

It will be humbling to have a genuine community and state-wide effort to fund the construction of our new memorial. Firefighters are givers and not very adept at asking for help. It has been difficult to realize that we cannot accomplish this task without help. Even firefighters need the help and support of their community, friends, and family.

Ryan Green – firefighter for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, PFFN Secretary-Treasurer