Fallen & Living Firefighters Memorial
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The Oklahoma Fallen and Living Firefighters Memorial is located at the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum, 2716 N.E. 50th Street, in Oklahoma City. The Memorial, Just Another Day, honors all Oklahoma Firefighters who have served our citizens since the inception of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association in 1894 and was sculpted by artist Shahla Rahimi Reynolds of Oklahoma City. Firefighter names are being inscribed in granite and those firefighters who gave the supreme sacrifice have the special and most honored space reserved at the park, The Wall of Valor. The memorial is unique in that all Oklahoma Firefighters are recognized who have served their communities for 20 years or have been forced to retire through disability. The Memorial Park walkway is the next major phase and will have alcoves for meditation purposes that depict different aspects of firefighters courage. The walk will include honoring the rescue workers, both firefighters and non-firefighters alike, who assisted with the April 19, 1995, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City.
Here are some memorial facts that are generally of interest. There have been 164 firefighters who have died in-the-line-of-duty from Oklahoma (or on Oklahoma soil) since the inception of records. The following facts are based on those 164 firefighters: The least amount of time served on a department was F.C. Carver (Tulsa - paid) who served 5 months and 6 Days in 1923; Timothy Duane Allen (Central High Volunteer) served 5 months and 29 days in 1998, he was unfortunately killed in a vehicle accident while responding to a fire alarm in his personal vehicle; the longest serving member was Joe L. Wittman (Shawnee paid) 29 Years, 11 months, 28 Days in 1997 (heart attack); the earliest known line of duty death was Herbert A. Williams (Muskogee paid) April 8,1910; the last known line of duty death was John F. Futhey, II (Hunter Volunteer) who unfortunately died of a heart attack, John was also active on the OSFA Board and was slated to become the OSFA President on June 10, 2006; the earliest known female line-of-duty death was Marilyn K. Williams (Keystone Volunteer) February 1, 1994.
