KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A memorial to Osceola County’s fallen firefighters was unveiled Friday.
Crews with Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS dedicated a memorial space at their fire training facility.
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Osceola County Vice Chairwoman Viviana Janer and Osceola County Fire Chief Larry Collier spoke during the ceremony.
Photos: Osceola County dedicates memorial to fallen firefighters
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The memorial is located at 3186 Pershing St. in Kissimmee.
It features a bronze statue of a kneeling firefighter, surrounded by helmets with the badge number and rank of each member of the fire, rescue and EMS teams who died while in service. They are:
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• Lt. Lyle Garlinghouse, an original department member, who died July 20, 1995 from cardiac arrest.
• Lt. John Mickel, who served from April 19, 1993 until his death July 30, 2002 from injuries sustained during a live fire training drill.
• Firefighter Dallas Begg, who also died during the live fire training drill on July 30, 2002 after only eight days with the department.
• Lt. Randy Donaldson, served from Oct. 28, 1996 and died Feb. 17, 2016 after a prolonged battle with cancer.
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“Each of these men’s sacrifice has impacted our daily lives, and how we do our jobs,” said Collier, who likened the continuity of the fire service to running a relay race. “It is our jobs now to carry the baton, the lessons we have learned through the work and sacrifice of others, so that we can pass it on to the next generation of firefighters.”
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