Gorham Fire Chief Robert Lefebvre unveiled plans Tuesday for a firefighter memorial, honoring all those who ever served in Gorham, including firefighters, rescue personnel and dispatchers.

The memorial features include a statue with its base surrounded by brick pavers, available to families for $125 each. The pavers will be inscribed with names, ranks and years served. Gorham has a small, full-time firefighting staff and has depended on generations of call volunteers through the years.

“It’s a way to thank and remember these people for their time and commitment to the community,” Lefebvre said.

The granite statue and three upright granite tablets, along with brick pavers, benches and a flagpole, will be placed in a courtyard between Gorham Fire Department and the town’s new police station under construction. Lefebvre expects the memorial, costing an estimated $55,000, to be in place by next spring.

The present Public Safety Building will be renovated for the fire department. A memorial dedication will likely he held in conjunction with a ceremony when the building project is completed.

Donations and fundraisers are paying for the firefighter memorial designed by Collette Monuments Inc., in Lewiston.

Gorham firefighters served as models for the gray granite, 6-foot-5-inch statue of a firefighter holding an ax. The statue, Lefebvre said, is being produced overseas.

A committee is at work to decide what will decorate three black, granite tablets that will rest on gray bases and situated in a circular pattern behind the statue. Lefebvre said one tablet could be inscribed with the Fireman’s Prayer.

Another tablet could honor a fallen Gorham firefighter of the town’s White Rock Fire Station, who died years ago from smoke inhalation, and Mike Kucsma, who died in 2014. Kucsma, a deputy Gorham fire chief, lost his life while scuba diving in Casco Bay.

Lefebvre said four memorial benches would be in remembrance of deceased Gorham personnel Hank Hamblen, Glen Dunlap, Larry Blouin and Kucsma. Lefebvre said the families have contributed substantially to the memorial.

The brick pavers will encircle the base of the statue and also will be placed around the flagpole. Lefebvre hopes to hear from families of firefighters, alive or deceased, who served in bygone years.

He hopes to order the first batch of brick pavers by Tuesday, Sept. 1.

“Anyone under the umbrella of Gorham Fire and Rescue is eligible” for a brick paver, Lefebvre said.

Several Gorham businesses and Cabela’s in Scarborough have contributed to make the memorial possible. Lefebvre said his department plans a spaghetti supper in September and a pancake breakfast to raise additional funds.

A rendering of the Gorham Fire Department’s firefighter memorial, which will be placed next spring in a courtyard at the town’s Public Safety complex. Courtesy imageA new police station is under construction in Gorham and the present Public Safety Building will be modernized for the fire department.Staff photo by Robert Lowell