CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Clarksville Fire Rescue unveiled a new firefighter statue Friday, September 11 at the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at Clarksville Fire Rescue’s Main Fire Station on Main Street. The day marked the 14th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S.
Close to 200 people were in attendance at the ceremony which honored hundreds of firefighters, police, emergency personnel lost in the 9/11 attacks. As is done each year three local fallen firefighters were also remembered in the ceremony.
Honored were Lieutenant Claude Walker who died while on the scene of a fire in 1960, Captain George Wallace was killed in a vehicle crash while on his way to a fire in 1967 and Engineer Ray Harrison died in a truck accident while at a fire in 1981.
Retired firefighter Captain Danny Perry spearheaded the effort to raise funds from private donations for the life-sized bronze figure which was created by Clarksville Fire Rescue engineer and sculptor Scott Wise.
The new statue, honoring fallen firefighters, took the place of another which was on the site of the fire station fro many years and was moved to the nearby Clarksville Fire Prevention Office on Franklin Street.
Speaking to the crowd Clarksville Fire Rescue Fire Chief Michael Roberts talked about those who work in public safety. “These men and women of the fire service, police service and emergency medical service personnel never know what they will be doing each day except for the fact that someone, somewhere is going to need our help as fast as we can get there, said Roberts.
Roberts added that we don’t always know what the situation will be when we arrive at a call, but we all know that we are going to do our best to help protect the people who have called for us, it’s what we do.