City leaders gathered with the community at Fire Station #1 on Front Street Wednesday morning, October 15, to be a part of the Dedication of the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Fighters Memorial. With over 200 in attendance Mayor Don Walters thanked the Memorial committee for all their hard work and vision on this project. Taking turns at the podium were Fire Chief Martin, Deputy Chief Matt Kee—also President of the Cuyahoga Falls Firefighters Memorial Fund— and Don Smerk, President of IAFF Local 494, the Cuyahoga Falls firefighters’ union. Each of these men expressed appreciation to the administration and the public for standing behind their vision of this project.
At the centerpiece of the memorial hangs the original fire bell which used to be housed in the original city hall nearby. As technology increased by means of telephone and telegraph the bell would be retired to Oakwood Cemetery, removing the horseshoe and the clapper. The CFFD Fire Bell was removed from Oakwood Cemetery in August 2021 to be sent back to Cincinnati for restoration as the centerpiece of this memorial.
After the initial presentation a Last Watch ceremony was held for the two firefighters who have died in the line of duty in our city. The ceremony, also known as “The Last Alarm,” typically involves a solemn procession and a final radio call. This is followed by the ringing of a special fire bell, usually with the signal of three rings, three times, representing the end of the firefighter’s duty and their final return home.
Earl Weirick died on March 9, 1937, after suffering smoke inhalation at a grass fire. He had a fatal heart attack the next morning while walking home from the station.
Firefighter Frank Schumann died responding to a call on the morning of Sunday, December 15th, 1957. CFFD Engine 1 was dispatched to the area of State Road and Maitland Avenue for a motor-vehicle accident. He was injured by a drunken driver on the scene and succumbed to his injuries.
The Cuyahoga Falls Firefighters Memorial will be placed in front of the nearly century-old Fire Station #1 that currently serves as the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department Headquarters and is home to the city’s busiest company, Engine 1/Squad 1 and Battalion Chief. Every single Firefighter who has served Cuyahoga Falls since 1927 has been assigned to Station #1 at least once during their career.
The memorial will serve as the focal piece in ceremonies throughout the year; examples would include September 11 Remembrance Day, National Fallen Firefighters Weekend, and the anniversaries of the department’s Line Of Duty Deaths (two to date). It is also planned that the memorial will be a key stop for the funeral processions of all members who have specified/requested/ earned CFFD honors upon their death.
The Cuyahoga Falls Firefighters Memorial Foundation is still taking donations to help fund the site. The foundation was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Ohio and is registered as a 501(c)(3) with the IRS. The predominant goal of the organization was, and currently is, the construction of a prominent and permanent memorial with our historic fire bell as its center piece.
