A place to say thank you to our first responders
New series in the Journal shines spotlight on the landmarks we see every day along our city’s streets
Technology is constantly changing our world, and navigating with GPS systems is one change that has gained a solid foothold in recent years. Whether you are new to Edmonton or simply navigating one of its many neighbourhoods, manoeuvring the streets and avenues can become overwhelming without GPS assistance. However, even in well established parts of the city, changes to local streets can stump satellites, causing GPS systems to go into ‘recalculating’ mode.
When technology fails, local landmarks can either help point us in the right direction or serve as reminders of our past. Edmonton has an abundance of historic and notable landmarks, adding beauty and interest to our neighbourhoods, but few of us realize why they exist or the history behind them. Today, the Edmonton Journal kicks off a new series that will focus on these significant points of interest.
The Old Strathcona neighbourhood is home to the Edmonton Firefighters Memorial Plaza, located at 10322-83 Avenue. The plaza sits directly west of Walterdale Theatre and is comprised of two public park benches, a memorial bell (from one of Edmonton’s original fire engines) and a bronze statue — called “The Rescue” — of a firefighter reaching to bring a child to safety. At the centre of the plaza, a monument lists the names of firefighters who lost their lives as a result of their service to the community.
Ed Rostalski, an Edmontonbased firefighter, came up with the idea for the memorial while he and his partner were responding to an alarm in 1996.
The idea gained traction after Rostalski met with Pete Zadada, a retired firefighter, and his wife Marge. The Zadadas had previously approached the firefighters union with a similar desire, but the idea had stalled in the planning stages.
“We wanted to do something to remember the sacrifice our friends had made, so we started to investigate the possibility of a monument,” said Rostalski, who recognized that the project needed to be approached methodically.
“We wanted it to be done right, so we created a business plan, complete with a budget.”
Initial plans for the plaza included an estimated cost of $250,000. The City of Edmonton gifted a small parcel of land beside the Walterdale Theatre, on a site that once housed the Town of Strathcona’s first fire station.
“Although the land was provided, it was up to our committee to come up with a plan to pay for the plaza and its future upkeep,” said Rostalski, reminiscing about the project’s early stages.
“So it became apparent it would be up to the firefighters to make it happen. One of our firefighters, Doug Brown, was also a draftsman. He designed the entire space, complete with a scaled model.”
Several firefighters pitched in to help with the memorial, assisting with the bricklaying, concrete pouring and wrought iron forging.
The plaza’s arched gates include a historical depiction of the various styles of fire engines used throughout the city’s history, and Edmonton-based sculptor Danek Mozdzenski was commissioned to create the statue at the centre of the plaza.
“Danek created the life-sized bronze monument from a staged photograph of platoon chief Dwayne Smith, reaching for his son,” said Rostalski.
“The result is personal and very realistic.”
Mozdzenski also created the bronze memorial statue of Ezio Faraone that anchors the park named after the Edmonton police officer, who was killed while pursuing a bank robber in 1990.
This Edmonton Firefighters Memorial Plaza is an important landmark for Old Strathcona, but it wasn’t until the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 that the plaza’s impact was truly recognized.
“I spoke to a woman who was laying flowers at the memorial on the anniversary of 9/11,” said Rostalski, “and she was so thankful to have a place where she could express her gratitude to those in service.”
As a result, the Edmonton Firefighters Memorial committee holds an annual service every Sept. 11 to remember its fallen members.
Most of the plaza’s maintenance costs are handled by local firefighters, although public donations are accepted. For more information on the Edmonton Firefighters Memorial, please visit www.firefightersmemorial.com.