Brent Vanfossan has been a firefighter in Christopher, Illinois for over 20 years. And he has wanted to buy his own firetruck for quite some time.
"This engine belonged to the Sesser fire protection district. They had it for sale for a while. And I had been looking for something to honor my son Kody," said Vanfossan.
On May 5th 2019, Vanfossan's son Kody was killed in the line of duty while fighting a fire in Christopher.
"He was a character. Didn't know a stranger. Had a little bit of a mouth on him, which every young kid does. Do anything to help anybody. And he loved firefighting," Vanfossan said.
To honor his son and other firefighters throughout the area, Vanfossan is creating a memorial for fallen firefighters across Southern Illinois, by putting the names of the firefighters, their fire department, and when they died on the side of the truck.
"There are unfortunately 20 names on the door. We wish it was zero," Vanfossan said.