Voting for the 2022 Best Places in Local Government (aka the #ELGLKnope) Round of 32 opens on March 7, 2022 and closes at midnight PT on Friday, March 11, 2022. One vote per person. Learn more about this award online.
Vote in the #ELGLKnope Round of 32!
Long Branch Volunteer Firefighter Memorial
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
- Online
- Year(s)/Era: The fallen and deceased firefighters of this 155 year old volunteer fire department.
- Type of Place: Monument Park
- Nomination: It is a beautiful old memorial park, adjacent to Takanasse Lake Park, honoring the fallen and deceased volunteer firefighters of the city dating back to the department’s founding in 1866. The park features nine memorials (one each from each of the city’s nine volunteer fire companies); three additional memorials (one each from the department’s EMS and career agencies); a monument dedicated to the city’s fire chiefs; an original bell tower signal bell from 1878 as well as the original “locomotive rim” that served as the city’s first fire alarm “bell”; at the center is the city’s memorial to the five city firefighters who were killed or died in the line of duty. This is all contained within an architecturally designed “maltese cross” (the symbol of the fire service) that serves to both outline the boundary of the park and serve as a base for the flagpole, benches, monuments and memorials.
- Most notable attribute(s): The centerpiece of the memorial is the Fallen Firefighters Memorial bearing the names of the five firefighters who were killed or died in the line of duty. It includes a beautiful cast bronze fire helmet atop a polished engraved marble pillar.
- Special designations or recognitions: The Memorial Park is the site of several annual community observances including the city’s Memorial Day ceremony.
- Three words to describe: Sacrifice, Quiet, Dramatic
- Anything else to share? This submitter is a proud past winner of a Traeger Award, too 😉
Local Government:
City of Long Branch
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740