Dallas Retired Firefighters Dedicate Walk of Honor

The Dallas Fire Rescue Walk of Honor was conceived by several retired firefighters in late 2003. The first organizational meeting of the DFR Walk of Honor Committee was held in December, 2003. the goal of the project was to establish a brick wall in front of the Fallen Firefighter Monument, which is located at the DFR Training Center in Dallas, Texas. The bricks would have been three lines containing the name of the firefighter, the years served and a line with rank, station, nickname or whatever was chosen by the person purchasing the brick. The price was set at $30 to cover the cost of the brick, the preparation and maintenance of the site, and to have additional monies to purchase bricks for deceased firefighters who had no family members to purchase bricks.

The first brick order was received and site preparation began in May, 2004. Notices of the project were sent to Dallas fire stations, as well as published in the DFFA Fireline and the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System’s monthly newsletter. The response was tremendous. Through the generosity of a donor (son of a deceased DFR captain), more than 500 bricks were purchased for members of the department who served from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. retired firefighters and surviving family members have purchased more than 800 bricks. To date, we have approximately 1400 engraved bricks. Blank bricks have been installed to fill the entire area and will be removed and replaced as more engraved bricks are ordered. Firefighters who retire currently and are members of the Dallas Firefighters Association may have a brick purchased for them by the DFFA. When a retired firefighter passes away, the DFFA will purchase a brick for that firefighter if the family wishes.

Our first order with Brick & Stone Graphics, over 600 bricks, was placed in September, 2004. The first brick installation was in December, 2004. Our goal for the initial phase of the project was to have the site completed in time for the October, 2005 memorial service to be held to honor the firefighters listed on the Fallen Firefighter Monument. On October 22, 2005, the DFR Walk of Honor Committee was proud to dedicate the completed walk during the memorial service.

All of the labor for the project has been volunteer, mostly retired firefighters. We’ve also had great support from the Dallas Fire Rescue administration and current members of the department.