3 June 2019
Work has started on building the Victorian Emergency Services Memorial to honour Victorian emergency services personnel who have lost their lives while serving the community.
The memorial at Treasury Gardens, will be a permanent place that personnel, families, friends and the community can recognise the sacrifices emergency services personnel make to protect the community and the environment.
The memorial will honour 177 CFA, VicSES, MFB, Forest Fire Management Victoria, Ambulance Victoria, Marine Search and Rescue and Life Saving Victoria personnel.
Emergency services have worked closely with the City of Melbourne and Heritage Victoria to finalise the concept design for the site.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the memorial would be a special place for so many people in many different ways.
“It will be a place for families to come with quiet contemplation with remembrance and reflection,” he said.
“Similarly, for the broader Victorian community and visitors, to respect and pay respects to those Victorians, career and volunteer, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in keeping Victorians safe.
“It’s a place that we can come together as emergency services. We talk about working as one, but this is a place where we can also remember as one.”
Construction on the memorial is expected to be completed later in the year.
The department acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.