VIDEO: Greensboro firefighters are taking a significant step toward restoring a tradition that honors colleagues who have died.
The inspiration centers around the Firemen’s monument in Green Hill Cemetery.
“We’ve got so much that we take for granted just like this statue here. A lot of the firemen were not even familiar with it or really knew what the history of it was,” Retired Battalion Chief Carl Eller said. Archived newspaper articles documented a tradition that faded over time.
“Back in the early 1800s, one of the traditions of the Greensboro firefighters, which they called them firemen then, was to recognize the firefighters that passed away the year before, so a group of people in town decided to erect a statue or monument to remember our fallen brothers and sisters,” Retired Battalion Chief Larry Cockman said.
Recent research revealed much of the monument’s connection to the fire department’s history.