An 8½ ft. tall statue honoring wildland firefighters will be unveiled for its first public display in a special dedication ceremony 3 p.m., Monday, May 2 at the Boise Airport Terminal.
The 600-pound artwork was commissioned by the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, and was funded primarily through the financial donations of the National Wildfire Suppression Association. Sculptor Larry Nowlan created the statue in the likeness of the first Wildland Firefighter statue installed at the Wildland Firefighter Monument located at the National Interagency Fire Center compound in Boise.
Representing private fire service companies nationwide, the National Wildfire Suppression Association strongly supports the work of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and is committed to assisting their fallen and injured brothers and sisters and their families in the Wildland Firefighting community in times of need.
In its resting place inside the Boise Airport Terminal, the Wildland Firefighter statue will be displayed prominently, reminding those traveling through the busy airport hub of the commitment and sacrifice made by the many men and women during their wildland firefighting duty. The inaugural statue is the first of a number of replicas which will be installed in airports across the country. Airports in Reno, NV, San Francisco, CA and Albuquerque, NM have also expressed interest in hosting similar Wildland Firefighter commemorative statues.
The NWSA is committed to improving safety on the fireline and has developed a high-qualify training program for the private wildland fire services. NWSA is a non-profit (501(c)6 organization which represents over 250 companies with an aggregate of more than 10,000 employees nationwide.
