APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) - A family member of fallen Appleton Fire Department Driver-Engineer Mitch Lundgaard is working on a sculpture to honor Lundgaard, other Appleton Fire Department members killed in the line of duty, and firefighters in general.
“The Final Alarm” will take shape out of a block of limestone placed outside Appleton Fire Station One, 700 N. Drew St.
"I wanted to do something in [Mitch’s] honor and memory where his kids could go, other than a gravestone,” said Jeffrey Olson, the uncle of Lundgaard’s widow, Lindsey.
Lundgaard was killed in mid-May when a man opened fire after a rescue call in downtown Appleton, authorities said. Authorities said police shot and killed the gunman.
Work on the sculpture, set to be completed within the next few weeks, is part of Olson’s grieving process.
"Mitch is the reason I'm doing it, but the whole purpose behind it is to honor those firefighters like Mitch who have dedicated their lives to serving us and making our lives better."
Olson is donating his work and the limestone was donated, Olson said.
The memorial will list the names of the four members of the Appleton Fire Department who have been killed in the line of duty over time, Olson said.
Appleton Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Felauer noted the permanence of the sculpture, and said the wish is that a fifth name will never need to be added.
“Hopefully that will never happen again... It’s been a rough road,” Felauer said.
