The father of one of the 19 fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots hopes a buggy used by the firefighting crew can become a memorial at a Los Angeles fire museum.
Fallen firefighter’s dad aiming to bring vehicle to LA facility
Two buggies used by the Granite Mountain Hotshots have been put up for sale, and the father of one of the fallen firefighters hopes to turn one of the vehicles into a memorial.
Joe Woyjeck, a retired fire captain and volunteer at the Los Angeles County Fire Museum, said he would like to bring one of the buggies to the museum to honor the 19 firefighters who died battling the Yarnell Hill Fire in June 2013.
The buggies were used to transport the hotshots to fire scenes and were in Yarnell on June 30, 2013, the day the Yarnell Hill Fire killed all but one of the elite firefighters.
Woyjeck said his son, Kevin, spent a lot of time in the fire museum while he was growing up.
“All three of my children were in the museum pretty much from the time they could walk,” Joe Woyjeck said.
The Daily Courier in Prescott reported that, in addition to the buggies, the city of Prescott would like to sell Fire Station 7, where the hotshots were based.
Woyjeck said he was focused on the buggies and did not know what might happen to the fire station.
“We want to make sure at least one of the buggies is in our collection … and is treated with dignity and respect,” he said.
Although the museum will have the final say, Woyjeck said he envisions having a plaque or seat assigned to each firefighter in the back of the buggy. He also envisions a place where people can leave letters for the fallen hotshots.
Woyjeck said he expects to hear soon on the museum’s bid.
“There’s no agenda involved other than honoring those 19 firefighters,” he said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
“We want to make sure at least one of the buggies is in our collection ... and is treated with dignity and respect.“JOE WOYJECK LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE MUSEUM VOLUNTEER AND FATHER OF FALLEN HOTSHOT KEVIN WOYJECK