By Ben Bartenstein, St. Paul Pioneer Press

St. Paul — Although their deaths were 75 years apart, George Wells and John Zasada were commemorated Friday at their former workplace, the old Lowertown home of Fire Stations 2 and 4.

Theirs was the first of 52 ceremonies to honor St. Paul firefighters who died in the line of duty. Wells, a pipeman, died in 1884 of lockjaw, two weeks after stepping on a nail at a fire. Zasada, a firefighter, passed away in 1959 of injuries suffered from falling through a fire station pole hole.

Since 1882, 62 St. Paul firefighters have died in the line of duty at 52 locations around the city. Over the next four weeks, each of those firefighters will be memorialized with a plaque at either their former fire station or the place of their death.

“It’s not so important how they died, but how they showed up to work to save lives,” said St. Paul Fire Department Captain Bob Kippels.

The 416 Wacouta St. location was the only existing structure with in-the-line-of-duty deaths. Fire Station 2 was based there from 1874 to 1971 with Fire Station 4 by its side from 1922 to 1970. The site is now home to River Park Lofts.

Stephen Gumnit, a tenant in the building, considers the signs a point of distinction. “It recognizes history and honors it,” said Gumnit, 49.

The project is a collaboration between the St. Paul Fire Honor Guard, St. Paul Fire Department and St. Paul Fire Foundation.

Although 207 Minnesota firefighters are already honored at the Firefighter Memorial on the state Capitol grounds, Kippel said the new signs are “a more historical tribute for our guys.“

Over the years, St. Paul firefighters have died from phosgene gas inhalation, falling through elevator shafts and electrocution. More than 60 percent of the deaths from 1948 to 1976 were the result of heart attacks, according to Kippels.

The most recent came in 2009, when Ramon Hain, a firefighter, died of bloodborne pathogen exposure he had sustained 13 years before while trying to save a patient from cardiac arrest.

—Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.