STOCKTON, Calif. — The Stockton Fire Department and city leaders officially broke ground on construction for the new location of its Fallen Firefighter Memorial at Victory Park.
Firefighters, community members and elected officials attended a Wednesday morning ceremony symbolizing the beginning of construction.
The original statue was erected in 1998 and stood for nearly two decades until vandalism at its previous location downtown caused the city to take it down.
"In 2017 we decided to raze it," said Stockton Fire Battalion Chief Erik Patten. "We put it in storage until we could find some place a little more safe and a place where the entire community could really enjoy it."
The memorial is set to be built front of Fire Station 6 on Picardy Drive. According to Stockton Fire Battalion Chief Erik Patten, it was the station of Brett Alan Laws, one of the firemen identified in the original monument who died on-duty in 1997.
"It is a solemn, sacred memorial to us," said Patten. "All of us go to work knowing that there's a chance that we're not coming home, and this is a monument dedicated to those who haven't."
The Stockton Fire Department is aiming to have the monument complete by Jan. 31, 2023 on the one-year memorial of Captain Max Fortuna's death.
"It's in a place where anyone can come take a look and feel safe when they come look at it," said Patten. "Not only do we want this as a memorial for us, but it's also for the community."
The current monument has the names of 13 fallen firefighters dating back to the 1800s, with Max Fortuna's to be added as the 14th name during reconstruction.
"The very least that we can do for these families -- for your brothers and sisters who continue to serve sacrificially through the Stockton Fire Department -- is to be able to support this Stockton Firefighters Memorial, and to support efforts that keep their memory and their legacy alive," said Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln.
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