By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
About 200 people turned out for Saturday afternoon’s dedication ceremony of a community informational sign at Miller’s Ferry Fire Department in memory of fallen Salisbury firefighter Justin Monroe.
Monroe, 19, joined Miller’s Ferry as a junior firefighter when he was 14 and held a lieutenant’s position with the department when he was killed in the Salisbury Millwork Co. fire. Chief Bobby Fox said Monroe’s parents, Lisa and Eddie, contributed to the $16,000 cost of the sign along with Justin’s fellow firefighters and people in the community.
“The majority of the materials were donated,” Fox said, “the brick and the landscaping and all that. The firefighters provided the majority of the labor.”
Because the sign is digital, it can be programmed to announce anything going on in the community. The base of the brick sign reads, “In loving memory of Justin E. Monroe” and includes his birth date and the March 7, 2008, date of his death in the line of duty.
Fox said the past year since the deaths of Monroe and 40-year-old Victor Isler has been tough for Miller’s Ferry firefighters. “As a whole, the department’s probably closer now than it’s ever been,” he said. “This kind of drew everybody closer together.”
Though there’s still a lot of grieving to be done, Fox said, “the firefighters have held up well and held our heads up and continued on. We’ve made sure that Justin will never be forgotten and the sign with his name on it will be there from now on.”
The Miller’s Ferry Fire Department has had a strong junior firefighter program for a long time. Fox said Monroe was one of the assistant coordinators for the program, so the 18 juniors in the department were all very close to him.
“He left a huge imprint on the whole department and community as well,” he said.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.