Steel beam from Ground Zero to be part of local memorial

A steel beam recovered from Ground Zero in New York City will become a permanent addition to the memorial in Civic Park honouring the hundreds of firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Kevin Schmalz, of the Kitchener Professional Fire Fighters Association, said the steel I-beam is nearly four metres long and will arrive in a few weeks.

It should be installed in the small park that is near the intersection of Queen and Margaret streets by early October.

Schmalz, the past chair of the association’s memorial committee, said the planning for a memorial featuring the beam is now underway and will complement the dramatic, award-winning sculpture, The Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, which was installed in Civic Park a few years.

Bell Cartage will cover the costs of transporting the beam from New York City to Kitchener. Ball Construction will build pedestal for the beam once the plans are finished. The firefighters association is looking for other corporate sponsors to cover the cost of plaques explaining the significance of the beam.

“It was a little over a year ago that we heard about it and made the application,” said Schmalz, a fire prevention officer.

The Kitchener association holds an annual Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Day on Oct. 8.

“We are hoping to have the artifact unveiled and dedicated that day,” Schmalz said. “We are in the process of working with the city’s park staff on how we are going to mount it.”

Schmalz’s cousin Timothy is the award-winning sculptor who did the local memorial. He also did the sculpture on Veteran’s Green in Waterloo and a memorial to miners killed on the job in Sudbury.

A public event will be held on Aug. 21 to mark both the arrival of the artifact in Kitchener and the participation of the local association’s hockey team in the 2011 World Police Fire Games in New York City. This annual international event was greatly expanded for this year because it is the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“The games are going to be absolutely massive,” Schmalz said. “There is something like 15,000 to 18,000 athletes going from 70 countries.”

The Kitchener Rangers are sponsoring the fire department’s team and providing full uniforms. They will be called The Kitchener Fire Rangers.

“On Aug. 21 we are having an exhibition game against our Toronto counterparts and a community rally,” Schmalz said.

Read more at http://www.therecord.com/news-story/2585033-steel-beam-from-ground-zero-to-be-part-of-local-memorial/