MARCH 2016 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \
63
O
riginally commissioned in 1989, these hal-
lowed grounds in Colorado Springs have
since been a place of prayer and celebra-
tion. In 2014, the International Association
of Fire Fighters approved a resolution to recon-
struct the memorial grounds to expand the capacity
for seating and revitalize the site with the theme of
family, honor, pride and community. The driving fea-
ture of the memorial is 122 granite panels where the
names of fallen fire fighters and emergency medical
personnel are engraved and remembered. The panels
range from between 2,700 and 3,500 pounds, standing 5
feet in the first row and 8 feet in the last row.
“We spent days in pre-installation and preplanning
meetings to ensure every detail was discussed before beginning in-
stallation of the granite panels,” said Mike Hamline, project super-
intendent for JE Dunn Construction. It took 37 days to complete the
installation and field modifications of the panels during the wettest
May in Colorado Springs’ history. “It was very important to us to get
the panels perfect,” said Hamline. “We increased our efficiency from
eight hours on the first panel down to one hour, which allowed us to
beat our schedule by three days.”
Guardian statues were installed as a new feature of the memorial
and stand on the periphery as silent sentinels. The majority of the
original granite panels were repurposed as the Family Ring, a walking
surface that circles the memorial grounds.
The recommissioning ceremony drew over 6,500 visitors and was
attended by dignitaries from across the United States and Canada.
More than 7,300 fallen fire fighter names are permanently engraved
at the site.
About the International Association of Fallen Fighters: Headquar-
tered in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, Ontario, the IAFF represents
more than 300,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics
in more than 3,100 affiliates. An annual memorial observance is held
each year in September in Colorado Springs and attracts more than
5,000 visitors from across North America.
\\
Diane M. Miller
Vice President
of Marketing,
JE Dunn
Construc-
tion
