Funds to Be Sought for Monument to Firefighters in County

A committee of firefighters and local officials will soon begin a drive to raise money for a monument to Orange County’s firefighters.

The campaign to raise $150,000 for the project begins April 27 with a $20-a-plate dinner at Peppers Restaurant, 12361 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove, said Msgr. John F. Sammon, vicar for pastoral and community services for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. Those wishing to attend without the dinner will be charged $7.50.

The monument, to be constructed of white California granite, will consist of three columns which arch upward from a triangular base. The columns represent the professional, personal and spiritual lives of county firefighters, said Martell Thompson, fire chief of the city of Orange and the committee chairman.

A brass firehouse bell will hang from the juncture of the three columns, Thompson said.

Thompson said the monument will reflect on the “past, present and future” of firefighting in Orange County, and not just commemorate firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

In Plaza of Flags

“This will give us a sense of pride and direction,” he said.

The monument will be erected in the Plaza of Flags, adjacent to the Hall of Administration in downtown Santa Ana, Thompson said.

“Santa Ana being the county seat . . . we figured that it would be a site that would be readily accessible to all,” he said.

A monument to Orange County’s police officers was erected in the same general area in December, 1986. Sammon, a committee member, said the proximity of the police monument makes it a particularly appropriate site.

Thompson predicted that the task of raising the money would be a “little overwhelming,” particularly because the committee members have had little experience in fund raising.

So far, $500 has been raised for the project, with another $5,000 pledged, Thompson said.

He estimated that the committee will have to raise at least $75,000 before construction can begin--something he hoped could happen by late summer or early fall.

Thompson said the committee would try to defray the cost of the bell by soliciting local governments for donations of brass. “We figure if we can find a foundry that will cast a bell for us, we’ll supply the materials.”