Nice work by Rowena Coetsee for reporting that East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District firefighter Willie West (Antioch) will be honored to a memorial honoring those whose jobs cost them everything for the benefit of the community.
The Memorial Wall
The centerpiece of the California Firefighters Memorial is the Memorial Wall. Our objective is to include the name of every firefighter who died in the line of duty in California since California became a state in 1850.
To qualify for inclusion on the Memorial Wall, the death of a firefighter must meet the terms of one or more of the following criteria:
- Any death of a firefighter (past or present) due to traumatic injury or injuries which occurred on the job or as a result of the job.
- Any death of a firefighter where the family of the deceased qualifies for a line-of-duty death benefit under the regulations of the U.S. Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program.
- Any death of a firefighter, where the family of the deceased qualifies for a line-of-duty death benefit under California’s Workers’ Compensation regulations.
- Any death of a firefighter which does not fall under the above stated criteria may be submitted by application to have the unique circumstances of the death reviewed further for consideration. This evaluation/appeal process will be reviewed by the California Fire Foundation Board of Directors and they shall make the final determination as to qualification.
Below is a link to the names that are on the California Firefighters Memorial Wall in order of death year:
Here is the full list: http://www.cafirefoundation.org/go/cff/?LinkServID=DF75A40E-1CC4-C201-3E0FEF101AFA1C83
Here is Rowena’s article in the Times.
SACRAMENTO — The memory of East Bay firefighters William West of Antioch and Hollis Franks of Livermore will live on in Sacramento, where their names have been added to a memorial honoring those whose jobs cost them everything.
West, who worked for East Contra Costa Fire District, and Franks, an Alameda County firefighter, died in June from cancer.
Their names, along with those of 38 other California firefighters who died over the past year, will be added to the approximately 1,200 already inscribed on the limestone memorial wall in Capitol Park.
West, of Antioch, and Franks, of Livermore, are among those who passed away either from traumatic injuries they received in the line of duty this year or from job-related causes.
Uniformed firefighters and family members of the deceased will gather Friday evening for a procession from the north steps of the Capitol to the California Firefighters Memorial to remember all who have died since the state was formed.
The annual ceremony will take place Saturday.
