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Unveiling Set For Wheeling Firefighter Memorial at Heritage Port

File Photo Wheeling’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial, set to be dedicated Thursday at Heritage Port, is depicted in a conceptual drawing.

A tribute to the Wheeling firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty over the past 150 years will be formally dedicated this week at Heritage Port.

International Association of Firefighters Local 12, city officials and local sponsors will be on hand for the public  ceremony, set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The event will include a reading of the names of the city’s fallen firefighters, a wreath presentation, bell-ringing ceremony and a recognition of sponsors.

Wheeling has had a professional, full-time fire department since 1868, but the Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the waterfront recognizes a tradition of firefighting in Wheeling that predates West Virginia statehood.

Over the last several months, members of IAFF Local 12 have worked with local businesses, labor organizations, community groups and individuals to collect funds, materials and manpower to construct the memorial.

The base features three granite plaques — one listing the names of the line of duty deaths, one honoring those who have died due to cancer and one honoring all firefighters, past and present.

Inside the memorial is the fire department ID of Robert “Bob” Foster, the last Wheeling firefighter to die in the line of duty, in 1991. Donated by Foster’s son, Mark, the ID badge was placed inside the monument during a special ceremony in April.

A bronze statue titled “Fallen Hero” sits atop the memorial. It is two-thirds life size and will be about 4 feet tall. Funded through the generosity of Wheeling Hospital, the statue was sculpted by Paul Olensiniewicz, a retired firefighter from Arizona. Wheeling Hospital is covering the entire cost of the $14,000 bronze statue.

With the base and statue, the memorial will stand 8 feet high.A tribute to the Wheeling firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty over the past 150 years will be formally dedicated this week at Heritage Port.

International Association of Firefighters Local 12, city officials and local sponsors will be on hand for the public  ceremony, set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The event will include a reading of the names of the city’s fallen firefighters, a wreath presentation, bell-ringing ceremony and a recognition of sponsors.

Wheeling has had a professional, full-time fire department since 1868, but the Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the waterfront recognizes a tradition of firefighting in Wheeling that predates West Virginia statehood.

Over the last several months, members of IAFF Local 12 have worked with local businesses, labor organizations, community groups and individuals to collect funds, materials and manpower to construct the memorial.

The base features three granite plaques — one listing the names of the line of duty deaths, one honoring those who have died due to cancer and one honoring all firefighters, past and present.

Inside the memorial is the fire department ID of Robert “Bob” Foster, the last Wheeling firefighter to die in the line of duty, in 1991. Donated by Foster’s son, Mark, the ID badge was placed inside the monument during a special ceremony in April.

A bronze statue titled “Fallen Hero” sits atop the memorial. It is two-thirds life size and will be about 4 feet tall. Funded through the generosity of Wheeling Hospital, the statue was sculpted by Paul Olensiniewicz, a retired firefighter from Arizona. Wheeling Hospital is covering the entire cost of the $14,000 bronze statue.

With the base and statue, the memorial will stand 8 feet high.

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