September 9, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Local law enforcement officers and firefighters welcomed motorcycle riders Saturday morning as they passed through Smithville and DeKalb County on a charity ride to help raise funds for the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial.
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Bikers from across the state, many of whom are members of emergency services, gathered in Sparta to participate in the 5th Annual Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ride. Bikers paid $20 and passengers $15 each to participate. They left out from the Sparta Fire Department traveling west on Highway 70 and arrived in Smithville around 9:30 a.m. before turning onto Short Mountain Highway toward Woodbury enroute to Bell Buckle on the campus of the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy where the memorial is located.
Beginning in 2002, the first Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Committee was founded with a mission to create a memorial to honor fallen firefighters in Tennessee. After earning its 501©3 not-for-profit status, the board of directors began to actively raise funds to build the memorial.
In 2005, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a resolution, which dedicated land on the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy property to be used for constructing an memorial. Fundraising efforts began with the TUFF Challenge and by selling bricks in support of the memorial.
Construction of the memorial was broken up into two phases. The official ribbon cutting ceremony for phase one was held Sept. 11, 2009. Dedication of the completion of the second phase was held on Sept. 10, 2011.
The Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial honors the fallen firefighters of Tennessee. Additionally, a section was added to the memorial that pays tribute to the lives lost during the terrorist attacks that occurred Sept. 11, 2001. As part of that memorial, a piece of a steel I-beam, which was recovered from “Ground Zero” in New York City, is also on display.