Motorcycles carrying dozens of riders passed through Cannon County on their way to Bedford County over the weekend. The occasion was the sixth annual Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial ride, which ends at the memorial on the campus of the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy near Bell Buckle.
This year’s ride was dedicated to Jason Dickey of the Lawrenceburg Fire Department, the 2008 Line of Duty Death, and to Barry Brady (Shady Brady) of the Sparta Fire Department. Brady, founder of the Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial ride, passed away earlier this year.
The Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Committee was founded in 2002 with a mission to create a memorial to honor fallen firefighters in Tennessee. After earning its 501©3 not-for-profit status, the board of directors began to actively raise funds to build the memorial. In 2005, the legislature passed a resolution setting aside land on the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy property to be used for constructing a memorial.
Construction of the memorial was broken up into two phases. The official ribbon cutting ceremony for phase one was held Sept. 11, 2009. Dedication of the completion of the second phase was held on Sept. 10, 2011.
The Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial honors fallen firefighters of Tennessee. Another section of the memorial pays tribute to the lives lost during the terrorist attacks that occurred Sept. 11, 2001. As part of that memorial, a piece of a steel I-beam, which was recovered from Ground Zero in New York City, is also on display.