Troy dedicates new firefighter memorial

TROY — Troy firefighters, their families and members of the community gathered June 26 for the dedication of the new firefighter memorial at Firefighters Park in Troy.

The new memorial lists the names of all of the department members who have died after serving in the department for 10 years or more on six stone tablets, one for each of the department’s stations. It also contains a statue of fire equipment and a set of flag poles.

“I think it’s a beautiful testament of our support for our firefighters and that our firefighters are our neighbors and friends,” said Troy Mayor Ethan Baker. “Now there is a formal place where people can come to pay their respects to those who have fallen who have been part of our department.”

Firefighters Park, established in 1991, had long been home to less formal memorials to members of the Troy Fire Department. Now this permanent memorial will be able to stand the test of time.

“Here at Firefighters Park, originally we would plant trees in honor of volunteers who had given their time and passed on,” explained Fire Chief Peter Hullinger. “There would be a plaque put at that tree, but over the years, the trees might die or the plaque might get overgrown, so we decided we needed a more permanent memorial for those who gave so much to the community of Troy.”

Hullinger said the memorial was designed to be a part of the park where visitors will see it whenever they use the park’s pathways.

“This memorial was built to be a part of the park with the pathway going through the memorial,” he said. “This will be here for everybody who comes to the park, whether it is someone specifically coming to check out names on the wall or just coming through here to enjoy the park with their kids or to go for a jog.”

“The other thing I love about the memorial is that the path through the park goes right through it, so families just enjoying the park can take a moment to see the memorial and take in the names of our firefighters and pay tribute to those who have made our city so great,” added Baker.

Several supporters of the department, including family members of department members, began the process for building the new memorial.

“This began in 2018 when we approached the city and got approval for this. We began the development over several months. We were going to start the construction right as COVID hit, so that delayed everything,” Hullinger said. “The total cost for the project was approximately $250,000. The city contributed $100,000 to the project, and then the rest was provided by fundraising done by volunteers.”

Baker believes that Troy’s Fire Department is set apart from most others due to both its size and the fact that it is an all-volunteer department.

“We are the largest city in Oakland County, so we have the largest fire department in Oakland County. We need such a large department because we have the third or fourth most assets per city in the state,” he said. “We’re unique in that we have a department that is this big and that it is an all-volunteer department. That has grown organically over the last 80 years. It’s not something that a community, now, could just decide to do. We have families who have served before them. The strength of it is the firefighters who have these stories of living and working in the city of Troy. All of our members live within 3 miles of each station, so they know the community and they know how to react most quickly. They are protecting their own community.”

Hullinger said that if not for one of the names on the memorial, he probably never would have joined the department.

“I have a friend whose name is on the wall … Steven Splan,” explained Hullinger. “He’s why I joined the department 29 years ago. (Splan) dropped by my house and told me he had just joined and said I should come and check it out. I went to training night, saw what it was all about, and decided I wanted to join the department. I was a volunteer for many years, and then there was an opportunity to go full time, and now I’m the chief of the department. We still take pride in the fact that many people are here because of friends or that they are third- or fourth-generation volunteers.”

Splan worked 16 years with the Troy Fire Department before taking a full-time position with the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety, where he had a fatal heart attack while on duty in 2020.

City officials at the event said it was a very deserving memorial for a group of individuals who put their lives and safety on the line to keep the community safe.

“This memorial is a beautiful tribute to our fallen firefighters, and it is meant to have people walk through it, and I want people to bring their families through and take a look at the names,” said Baker. “Linda McIntosh from the Somerset Collection said it best the evening of the fire there (on June 13): It’s what so many of us in the community already know, and that is that our Troy firefighters are rock stars, and it truly is a testament to the wonderful work they do.”

Hullinger added that department members are pleased with how the memorial has turned out and that the project has finally come to fruition.

“The department is very excited right now,” he remarked. “We are very proud of this memorial, and they are very honored to have it. We had a huge turnout from the Fire Department here today. Every firetruck in the city is here.”