CHATHAM — Chatham residents can pay tribute to eight fallen African-American firefighters who died in the line of duty at a celebration of their lives later this month.
The Aug. 15 ceremony will take place at Brown Memorial Park at 634 E. 86th St. The event is being put on by the Brown Park Advisory Board. Running from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., the event features entertainment, raffles and prizes.
From 1:30-2:30 p.m., Tuskegee Airmen and members of the Chicago African-American Firefighters League will honor the life of the first African-American firefighter to die in the line of duty in Chicago history, Sidney Brown.
Brown, 32, was killed on Aug. 9, 1983, after rushing inside a burning house after a report that three children were trapped inside. The report turned out to be a mistake.
"Brown typically worked at the fire hydrant during fires, and was usually the last firefighter from his engine to enter a building, but as one of the first firefighters on scene, he and two other firefighters raced into the burning house in search of the children," according to the Firefighter Service Institute. "During his search, Brown opened a bedroom door and exposed a fire smoldering in the bedroom to a rush of oxygen. Brown was badly burned in the subsequent flashover and died from his injuries."
The park, which is already named after Brown, will be rededicated, and the Brown Park Advisory Board will unveil plans for a memorial site. The lives of seven other fallen black firefighters will also be commemorated.
“Our plan is to honor these gentlemen by announcing their name, ringing the bell, and having a moment of silence,” said Carl Lewis, the board’s president.
“We also want to take it a step further and dedicate it to all African-American firefighters, living or dead, in this country, who have put their lives on the line for the citizens of this country, particularly African-Americans. As the Chatham community, we thought this was a way of showing them what we think of them.”
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