Local firefighters immortalized

Deepa Bharath

Two local fallen firefighters will be honored at the unveiling of the

California Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento’s Capitol Park today.

Costa Mesa firefighter John Kirkpatrick and Newport Beach firefighter

Larry Parrish will each be remembered as one of 855 fallen firefighters

from around the state who will be immortalized through this memorial.

Kirkpatrick died in 1976, Parrish in 1994.

Kirkpatrick passed away in the fire station of a heart attack, said

Costa Mesa Fire Chief Jim Ellis.

“He was a senior fireman,” Ellis said. “I did not have the honor of

knowing him, but his colleagues say he was a very happy, jolly guy who

was dedicated to serving the community.”

Ellis said he is thrilled that the state is recognizing fallen

firefighters.

“It means a lot to us and a lot especially to the families of the

firefighters,” he said. “It’s an awesome way to pay tribute to them.”

Newport Beach firefighter Parrish died of colon cancer, but his

disease was directly “attributed to his service as a firefighter,” said

Capt. Rich Thomas, president of the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn.

“Larry was 48 at the time of his death and had served this city for

more than 20 years,” he said.

Parrish was diagnosed with the cancer a year before his death.

“It’s still considered death in the line of duty because diseases like

cancer, Hepatitis C and other kinds of heart and lung diseases are quite

common among firefighters,” Thomas said.

He recalled Parrish as “a firefighter dedicated to his profession.”

“He was also very personable,” Thomas said. “He told a good story and

made my stomach hurt from laughing.”

He said the memorial was a great task that took several hours of

fund-raising on the part of firefighters all over the state.

The memorial features three elements. The centerpiece is the Memorial

Wall, a granite fixture on which will be inscribed the names of 855

firefighters who have died in the line of duty in California since 1850.

Adjacent to the wall on either side will be two statues. One of them

depicts four firefighters in action, and the other shows a single

firefighter carrying a fallen colleague away from danger.

The memorial’s design, construction and maintenance is being financed

without state funding -- the only completely self-sustaining memorial in

Capitol Park. Most of the $2 million raised to build the memorial came

from firefighters through the purchase of the special firefighter license

plates and a special state tax.

Today’s unveiling is the result of 10 years’ work, Thomas said.

“The date for the unveiling was set long before Sept. 11.” he said.

“Since [Sept. 11], there has been a lot more public interest in our

profession, and that has been a tremendous boost for our morale. The

memorial only adds to that boost.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .