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If I
can throw a single ray of light
across the path of another;
If I can aid some soul to a clearer
sight of life and duty;
If I can wipe from
any human cheek a tear,
I shall not have lived in vain while here.
... unknown |
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| Although inspired by the four firefighters that died in
the line of duty while fighting a warehouse fire in Seattle's Chinatown
International District on January 5th, 1995, the Fallen Firefighter's
Memorial is a respectful tribute to all thirty-four firefighters that
have died in the line of duty since the department began in 1889. The
four bronze statues that comprise the memorial, have permanent residence
in Seattle's picturesque Occidental Park which is located adjacent to
Seattle Fire Department Headquarters in downtown's Pioneer Square
district. |
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| Funding for the Memorial was raised through the efforts and
donations of private citizens, firefighters, area businesses,
city government and various private organizations. Hai Ying
Wu, an internationally recognized artist from the University of
Washington School of Arts, worked with a team of firefighters to
design the life-sized figures and also sculpted them.
Wu intentionally designed the figures with masked faces
noting that they "..could be any of the thousands of
firefighters who have donned the uniform of the Seattle Fire
Department." |
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Surrounding the figures are slabs of granite intended to
depict a collapsed building. Wu inscribed his own words into
one of the slabs describing the memorial as; "Represented
realistically yet with exaggerated gestures to emphasize the
intensity of the battle in which they are engaged."
The Seattle Fallen Fighters Memorial is a reminder to
ourselves and people everywhere, that the members of our
firefighting family who have lost their lives protecting the
lives and property of others are not, and will not, ever be
forgotten.
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