Two new memorial tributes to firefighters were installed at the old fallen firefighter memorial site in downtown Stockton over the weekend.
“They work very hard,” neighbor Linda Hernandez said. “They work and put their life on the line every time they go to a fire.”
One of the granite inlays depicts the statue that was once there. The other is the Stockton Fire Department crest.
Stockton Fire Chief Ken Johnson said the space honors fallen firefighters.
“For those who have given what we call the ultimate sacrifice, who have lost their life in the line of service. We feel an obligation to remember them every year for the sacrifice and the service, for both them and their family’s loss,” Johnson said.
While the plaques and the statue are now gone, the Stockton Fire Department says the site is still hallowed ground.
Firefighters removed the old memorial in 2017 because of repeated vandalism.