WFF Launches Statue Campaign

           

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is working to place statues to recognize the nation's wildland firefighters at locations throughout the United States.

On May 2, the Boise Airport became the first airport to dedicate an 8-foot bronze statue created from the same mold used for one of the statues in the Wildland Firefighters National Monument at the National Interagency Fire Center.

According to Melissa Schwagerl, office manager of the WFF, California and Nevada are vying to become the second state to erect a statue for wildland firefighters at airports in Sacramento and Reno.

Airports with heavy wildland fire air traffic have been the jumping-off point for the statues, especially in the West, but the statues can be placed in any appropriate place to honor wildland firefighters, Schwagerl said. The WFF hopes to have a statue dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of erecting the statues is to honor not just fallen firefighters but those who are still on the line. “Wildland firefighters are usually hundreds to thousands of miles from home, which really distinguishes them from structure firefighters,” Schwagerl said. “There's really no union for them. So we just really want recognition for them so people know that they're out there, saving property and protecting the natural resources.”

The price of each statue is about $30,000. The National Wildland Suppression Association, a group of private contractors, supported the statue dedicated at Boise Airport.