Fire Fighter Memorial in Santa Barbara

A Caterpillar loader helped set a life-sized, hand made/cast bronze statue of a fireman in field dress in center of the memorial, looking towards the memorial plaque.

The landscaping/planting consists of all Mediterranean and California-friendly plantings, including many Santa Barbara native plantings and succulents. The plantings are arranged to accentuate the various aspects of the Fire Fighter Memorial.

Santa Barbara County Fire Department Headquarters campus Installation involved a several thousand square foot hardscape and planting project. It was designed and installed with intent to honor and remember those fire fighters who died in line of duty and service.

The goal was to create an open public space whereupon all people can come to remember, reflect, pause and think to the future. The pro bono aspects of this project are that we donated the sandstone for the dry creek bed.

The memorial is a brass plaque on a concrete/stucco cast-in-place form.

A one-ton native sandstone boulder above which the firefighter statue is standing, represented the natural element of Santa Barbara landscapes which includes natural wildland fires that occur in rugged, mountainous landscape. Firefighters often have difficult terrain to negotiate when protecting our neighborhoods.

A 30' diameter concrete paver circle surrounds the statue, the circle representing that all things are connected in time and place. A 100' circumference Oklahoma/Cherokee flagstone coping retains the pavers, symbolically functioning as the Circle of Honor. A 30 linear foot seating-height bench on the backside of the circle provides a protective backdrop to the memorial itself. This site serves as a place to reflect, and a space to provide lettering on the back/street side that says "County of Santa Barbara Fire Department."

A line of Guadalupe fan palms along the parking lot and edge of the memorial stand as the honor guard. LED lights illuminate the statue, memorial plaque and flagpole.

A 7-foot sitting bench on the high side of the Memorial, gives a more intimate experience with full view of the memorial, the city below and ocean beyond; the bench is flanked by two fan palms.

A dry creek bed flows through and around the entire project, capturing all fire department headquarters building and parking lot rain and storm water runoff. The curb was cut and all storm water now is directed into the native sandstone dry creekbed, that meanders to capture, infiltrate and treat the majority of site storm water, thereby keeping it onsite.

A distinct planting area at the bottom of the memorial is in the shape of a burning fire. The Living Flame is colored and textured with plants to mimic active flames, smoldering coals and ash pockets.

The memorial was dedicated lto a full procession of fire fighters, with flag raising, salute, bagpipes, and city and county neighboring fire departments and elected officials in supporting attendance. The memorial is now used for fire department public announcements and news broadcasts, in addition to graduations and advancements.