Austin firefighters contribute to memorial
Published 8:52 am Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Minnesota firefighters have raised enough money to build a memorial honoring fallen firefighters, and the Austin Fire Department helped contribute.
Fire Chief Mickey Healey said Austin firefighters donated $30 each to the fund. Firefighters across the state were encouraged to donate to the $600,000 project.
“Each individual firefighter donated out of their own pocket; it didn’t come from taxpayers,” Healey said.
Healey said there was an outpouring of donations from Minnesota businesses, in addition to fire departments.
The memorial will be built on the state capitol grounds as a dedication to the 194 firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1881. The memorial itself costs $500,000, but the extra $100,000 was raised to fund future maintenance.