MESA, Ariz. — The City of Mesa hosted a dedication ceremony on Wednesday at the Firefighter Memorial Park to honor ten fallen firefighters.
Their names were printed on gold plaques which also included their end-of-watch date.
The memorial honored:
- John Owens
- Winston West
- Jack Stevens
- Gary Peters
- Captain Chuck Inman
- Carl Shoemaker
- John Delaney
- John Jayne
- Nikki Sullivan
- Trevor Madrid
Abigail Sullivan was at the event to honor her mother Nikki Sullivan who died of breast cancer in 2019.
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"She was a Mesa firefighter for 15 years," Sullivan said. "I really cared for her and I just miss her so much."
Sullivan said the gold plaque arrangement was special to her and other families.
"I know everyone here just misses all these people so much and I think that is such an incredible thing that we can all gather here today in honor of these people," Sullivan said. "I’m just very grateful that I have these people in my life."
Mesa Fire Chief Cameli said she knew eight of the 10 fallen firefighters and described the event as "a joy and a heartache."
"[This] does remind [families] of the loss of a loved one who gave the ultimate sacrifice," Cameli said. "But the joy is that they have a place to come [and] they have a place where they can share stories about their loved one and pass it on to other generations."
Shannon Heinze, a board member at the Mesa Public Safety Foundation, said the renovations to the park were in part due to various fundraising efforts.
"We sent emails to all of the firefighters' families, the retired firefighters, community members all the chamber members," Heinze said. " We were [also] selling bricks to family members, [and] businesses to have a lasting legacy here at the memorial."
The City of Mesa said the committee coordinating this effort fundraised $160,000, noting that Tom Galvin, Maricopa County Board Supervisor, donated $100,000.
The rest of the project was covered by the 2018 park bond.
The City of Mesa said renovations to the park included:
- A Maltese Cross etched into the concrete at the center of the memorial.
- Donation pavers recognizing those who contributed to the project.
- A donation plaque listing major donors who contributed $5,000 or more.
- Bronze memorial plaques honoring fallen firefighters.
- A new monolith pilaster that will feature a bronze relief artwork.
Heinze said the park renovations unveiled Wednesday were part of phase 1 of the total park renovations and said they'll continue to ask the community to get involved.
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