FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — There are new names etched into a growing memorial in Frankfort.
The Fallen Firefighters Memorial was created back in 2000, but sadly more names are getting added. That includes firefighters from all over eastern and central Kentucky.
"In a lot of these small communities, they know their firefighters by name," said Bruce Roberts, the Deputy Director of the Kentucky Fire Commission.
There are at least 300 names on the wall, but not just names. They're someone's son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, or father.
"Today is probably one of the most challenging days I've had in a while," said Phillip Caudill, a firefighter with the Garrett Fire Department in Floyd County. He bears the same name as his dad.
"So I wound up joining and my dad joined back in the department with me," he said. "Got back active. Got to fight a few fires with him."
22 names were added to the memorial, and 10 of those were listed as line-of-duty deaths. The other 12 are deaths prior to 2000, and several are from our area:
- Henry McDonald, Lexington Fire Department
- Estill Rickerson, Lexington Fire Department
- Louis Travis, Lexington Fire Department
- Charles Brumfield, Nicholasville Fire Department
- Phillip Caudill, Garrett Fire Department
- Gary Hutton, West Knox Fire Department
- Gary Melvin, Paintsville Fire Department
"These names are on the wall, they're here forever so it's something that memorializes them for the rest of their lives," said Marc Henderson, the President of the Kentucky Firefighters Association.
Henderson added that, sadly, more people are losing their lives related to firefighting, including issues such as cancer and PTSD.
