New Fallen Firefighters Memorial to Come to Rockland

Rockland County Legislators unanimously approved a contract to allow the construction of the new Rockland County Firefighters’ Memorial to move forward, a major milestone that will allow the project to break ground.

“It’s really past time for us to have a county-level memorial,” Rockland County Legislature Public Safety Committee Chairman Paul Cleary said. “Many of our individual fire departments have tributes to their firefighters who died in the line of duty, but having a central memorial where all can be recognized and honored for their sacrifice is the right thing to do.”

Legislator Cleary previously sponsored the county law that awards up to $1 million in total to fallen firefighters’ survivors so they do not have to fear losing their home or paying their bills because their main breadwinner made the ultimate sacrifice. The award is also meant to show our county’s respect for the fallen and their families.

Legislators have now voted to approve the awarding of the construction of the memorial to ADP Group Inc. of Paterson, NJ, after it was determined that the company was the lowest responsible bidder. The job is not to exceed $976,000.

The Rockland County Legislature approved the project in 2023, amending the county’s 2023 Capital Budget to add the memorial. It was also approved by the county executive.

The Rockland County Volunteer Firefighters’ Association has been working to bring a memorial to the county for some four years and established a special committee focused on the effort. It is chaired by Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco III, RCVFA President Evan Humphrey and Firefighter Jason DiSalvo, with 9 additional members.

The overall memorial project is estimated to cost $1.9 million. It will include the new Firefighters’ Memorial, the relocation and renovation of two older military memorials currently located near the Main Street sidewalk, and the renovation of the Rockland County Police Memorial, Sheriff Falco said.

The new firefighters’ memorial will be located on the front lawn of the County Courthouse, where the overall area has long acted as a “village green” for various gatherings and celebrations.

It is also the place where every year, residents and law enforcement officers gather to mark Law Enforcement Memorial Day, and to add the names of local officers who died in the past year, including those who continue to be lost to the effects of working at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

But until now, Rockland’s firefighters have had no such memorial. More than 50 firefighters have died in the line of duty since 1906, both in Rockland County and while responding outside the county (FDNY). The memorial will include both volunteer and paid firefighters.

The project will not only show the names of the fallen heroes, but also provide a space where families, friends and firefighters can gather to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The memorial is to include an original life-size sculpture from Randolph Rose Collection Inc. of Yonkers, NY. It will have three firefighters to “Honor the Brave,” representing all firefighters – past, present and future. The cost is $185,000.

The company was previously commissioned to create “Firefighter Brothers,” in honor of Thomas and Daniel Foley, which was dedicated in 2023 and is on the West Nyack Hamlet Green. Thomas was lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and Daniel succumbed to illness contracted during his service in the aftermath of Sept. 11, including the 10 days he spent searching for his older brother. Both men served with the FDNY and the West Nyack Fire Department.