SaskatchewanThe monument is projected to cost $900,000 and will pay tribute to firefighters, police officers and EMS workers who die on, or because of, the job.Monument projected to cost $900K The monument is projected to cost $900,000 and take a year to complete. (Will Draper/CBC)Fallen first responders, including firefighters, mobile crisis workers and paramedics, will soon have their names inscribed on a memorial at the Saskatchewan Legislature.The monument is being built on Memorial Way, just south of the legislature, as a way to honour first responders who die in the line of duty or because of stress caused by their job.”I’m very, very proud of this memorial,” said David Reed, regional sergeant major for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Regina.”It is going to pay such tribute to the people who have lost their lives and have fallen for emergency services across the province.”But Reed, a paramedic, said the government needs to further honour fallen first responders by giving medals to their families as a way to commemorate their sacrifice.”When they come to this memorial they can’t take a piece of that home. They can’t take that piece and put it onto their heart and think of the loved one they have lost,” he said.”It’s so important that … we can look across the crowd and we can pick out family members, mothers, fathers, spouses, and we can recognize that they’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service to others. That’s why that medal is so important.”Paramedic David Reed wants families of fallen first responders to receive medals recognizing their service. (Will Draper/CBC)Reed has been lobbying the government to develop a medal program for fallen first responders, but the province said at this point it’s just focusing on building the monument.That monument is estimated to cost $900,000 and be completed by 2026. It will include 80 names of fallen first responders, with room to add more.”Our protective services personnel are a critical component of our communities. They’re the ones that are running into the face of danger when the rest of us are running away from it,” said Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod.”This will be a particularly great way to honour those who have died in the line of duty.”McLeod said he hasn’t ruled out giving medals to the families of fallen first responders.In a news release, NDP corrections and public safety critic Nicole Sarauer commended the plan for a monument, but echoed the calls to award medals to families.”A medal is personal. It’s something a family can hold, display, and pass down – that kind of recognition matters,” she said.”It’s something that would be given to the family of any first responder who loses their life in the line of duty, including those who lose their lives due to PTSD.”ABOUT THE AUTHORColleen Silverthorn is a journalist for CBC in Regina. Colleen comes from the newspaper world, where she primarily covered politics and business. She has worked in Saskatoon, Regina and London, England. Story ideas? Email colleen.silverthorn@cbc.ca
Memorial to fallen first responders to be built at Sask. Legislature
