SUBJECT
Title
DESIGNATING WATERFRONT PARK AS THE PERMANENT HOME FOR THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL FIREFIGHTER MEMORIAL AND WAIVE BOARD POLICY A-72 (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
In October 2022, the Board of Supervisors took the first step toward honoring San Diego's fallen firefighters by initiating the process to establish the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial. That action created the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial Working Group, directed County staff to evaluate suitable locations, and seeded the effort with initial planning and design funds. Today, the Board takes the next step: formally designating Waterfront Park at the County Administration Center as the permanent home of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial.
San Diego's firefighters serve their communities at profound personal risk. The names of thirty fallen San Diego firefighters are currently engraved on the California Firefighters Memorial Wall in Sacramento - each name representing a family tragedy and a community that owes an enduring debt of gratitude. Yet despite this legacy of sacrifice, there is no single, permanent place anywhere in San Diego County dedicated to honoring fallen firefighters from across all departments and agencies in the region. The San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial will create that place.
Waterfront Park is the right home for this memorial. The County's civic campus is already recognized as a place for honoring fallen heroes. The Law Enforcement Memorial at Waterfront Park has long served as a place where the community can come together to remember the officers lost in the line of duty and stand alongside their families. San Diego's firefighting community deserves a similar home for reflection, grieving, and healing.
The San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial will be anchored by a Wall of Heroes honoring fallen firefighters from across the county, designed to complement the existing Law Enforcement Memorial. The space will serve both quiet individual reflection and formal community ceremonies. Construction and maintenance will be funded through donations, grants, and other external resources coordinated by the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial Working Group, with no impact to the County's General Fund.
Today, the Board is asked to designate Waterfront Park as the home of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial and direct the CAO to collaborate with the Memorial Working Group on identifying a mutually agreeable site. The timing of today’s action is essential, as it allows for the project to move forward with site selection, design finalization, and fundraising, targeting a completion date of September 11, 2026, to align with commemorations of the sacrifices of firefighters nationally. With this vote, the Board ensures that the public service and courage of San Diego's firefighters will be honored in a permanent and meaningful way for generations to come.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
CHAIR TERRA LAWSON-REMER
1. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to designate Waterfront Park as the permanent location of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial and work with the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial Working Group to construct the memorial at a mutually agreeable site.
2. Waive Board Policy A-72 Agenda and Related Process, Section 2.C.2.ii, which establishes required timelines for review when preparing a Board Letter.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
By establishing a regional memorial that honors fallen firefighters from every department and agency across the county, this action affirms that every firefighter's service and sacrifice deserve equal recognition, regardless of the community they served or the agency that employed them. The memorial also creates a lasting civic anchor for public awareness of the physical and mental toll of firefighting - work that is essential to the safety and resilience of San Diego's most vulnerable communities.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with today's recommendation. Future impacts may include a reduction in revenue associated with event space availability, based on site selection. Additionally, costs for constructing the memorial will be funded through donations, grants, and other external sources. There is no net change in General Fund cost and no change in staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
The Waterfront Park Advisory Committee unanimously approved the creation of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial at Waterfront Park in 2022
BACKGROUND
In October 2022, the Board of Supervisors took the first step toward honoring San Diego's fallen firefighters by initiating the process to establish the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial. That action created the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial Working Group, directed County staff to evaluate suitable locations, and seeded the effort with initial planning and design funds. Today, the Board takes the next step: formally designating Waterfront Park at the County Administration Center as the permanent home of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial.
San Diego's firefighters serve their communities at profound personal risk. The names of thirty fallen San Diego firefighters are currently engraved on the California Firefighters Memorial Wall in Sacramento - each name representing a family tragedy and a community that owes an enduring debt of gratitude. Yet despite this legacy of sacrifice, there is no single, permanent place anywhere in San Diego County dedicated to honoring fallen firefighters from across all departments and agencies in the region. The San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial will create that place.
Waterfront Park is the right home for this memorial. The County's civic campus is already recognized as a place for honoring fallen heroes. The Law Enforcement Memorial at Waterfront Park has long served as a place where the community can come together to remember the officers lost in the line of duty and stand alongside their families. San Diego's firefighting community deserves a similar home for reflection, grieving, and healing.
The San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial will be anchored by a Wall of Heroes honoring fallen firefighters from across the county, designed to complement the existing Law Enforcement Memorial. The space will serve both quiet individual reflection and formal community ceremonies. Construction and maintenance will be funded through donations, grants, and other external resources coordinated by the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial Working Group, with no impact to the County's General Fund.
Today, the Board is asked to designate Waterfront Park as the home of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial and direct the CAO to collaborate with the Memorial Working Group on identifying a mutually agreeable site. The timing of today’s action is essential, as it allows for the project to move forward with site selection, design finalization, and fundraising, targeting a completion date of September 11, 2026, to align with commemorations of the sacrifices of firefighters nationally. With this vote, the Board ensures that the public service and courage of San Diego's firefighters will be honored in a permanent and meaningful way for generations to come.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Designating Waterfront Park as the location of the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial advances the Community initiative's Safety and Quality of Life goals by honoring the fire service that keeps San Diego residents safe, and its Partnership goal through the collaboration between the County, the San Diego Regional Firefighter Memorial Working Group, and community partners.
Respectfully submitted,
TERRA LAWSON-REMER
Supervisor, Third District
ATTACHMENT(S)
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