Fire departments across Vigo County are working together to raise money for a memorial statue project. The project will honor firefighters in Vigo County who lost their lives in the line-of-duty.
The idea for the memorial statue came from local woman Helen Kester, who was making a “first responder” themed calendar to help celebrate Vigo County first responders. While making the calendar, Kester realized there was not a memorial for fallen firefighters in Vigo County.
“I went to find the memorials for the military, and you could find them at the Vigo County Courthouse. I could find the police ones, they have statues there (outside of HQ), and then I could not find anything for the fallen firefighters,” Kester says.
Drew Phelps is a member of the Terre Haute Fire Department, and says that a physical memorial would be a great way to honor fallen heroes. His father Dave Phelps died in the line of duty in 2023 while working for the Prairieton Fire Department.
