by Kelsey Penrose
In 2009, the Mayor of Carson City requested an item from the debris of the World Trade Center, and in 2013 Mills Park was designated as the permanent location for the Steel I-beam placement and the city’s memorial to those lost on Sept. 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center attack.
Now, the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada Benevolent Association (PFFN) has requested the I-beam be moved and incorporated into the memorial to the firefighters of the state, which is being constructed at the Nevada State Capitol.
In 2017, Nevada Senate Bill 540 was enacted to allow the PFFN to construct a memorial to the firefighters of Nevada on Capitol grounds, which is nearing completion.
The current Firefighters memorial, which was dedicated in 1993 in Mills Park, is to be decommissioned, with the commissioning of the new memorial being planned and carried out with input from the original Firefighters Memorial Board, according to PFFN.
So far, the cost for the memorial has exceeded $750,000, all of which has been raised through donations.
According to the proposal, “PFFN is open to an arrangement where the City will retain ownership of the beam, but permit it to be incorporated into the new State Memorial.”
According to PFFN, the group first began exploring the creation of a memorial on capitol grounds over 15 years ago. It was chosen due to the fact that the Fallen Police and Military memorials are also located at the Capitol.
The new memorial will consist of a large rear wall with “five life-sized bronze statues of firefighters working at a fire scene.” The wall will consist of black granite with the names of the fallen etched in, along with QR codes provided on the wall near each name that will provide a story about each fallen firefighter.
The PFFN believes that the new memorial will be a fitting place for the I-Beam.
“The new location is fitting home to a piece of history that symbolizes the sacrifices made by both Fire and Police,” the PFFN stated.
Additionally, they believe that the Capitol complex will provide more security for the I-Beam, and the memorial as a whole.
“The new memorial location will provide a much greater level of security,” the PFFN stated. “We were required to provide cameras that are monitored 24 hours a day by Capitol Police. The Capitol grounds are provided with a high level of around the clock security.”
Since it’s dedication in Mills Park, a Sept. 11 memorial has been held at the beam each year, which is attended by multiple Carson City churches, firefighters, law enforcement agencies and city leaders.
The Board of Supervisors will determine whether or not to move the beam to the capitol complex from Mills Park during the Oct. 20, 2022 meeting.
