TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Two Toledo firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty will be memorialized with a stretch of highway.
On Monday, State Representative Mike Ashford, along with firefighters representing Local 92 and local elected officials, announced the unveiling of the new "Toledo Firefighters J. Dickman and S. Machcinski Memorial Highway" sign on I-75.
The subjects of the highway's name are James Dickman and Stephen Machcinski, who lost their lives battling a fire that was intentionally set in 2014.
"It'll be there for a long time," Rep. Ashford said. "You know, it will remind people who drive that stretch, of the sacrifice our firefighters make each and every day."
The families of Dickman and Machcinski were presented with a small version of the sign that will adorn the stretch of highway between Nebraska Avenue and Monroe Street.
"Everybody was determined to make sure that this happened," Rep. Ashford said. "That we wanted to make sure that their memory would never ever be forgotten."
Toledo Fire Chief Luis Santiago hopes the memorial will help the family and the community to move past the tragedy. It will also stand as a reminder to the heroism that Dickman and Machcinski displayed that night.
"And hopefully the story is not lost," Chief Santiago said. "And we can continue to tell that story of how good Jamie and Steve were, and how big of a contribution they had in our department."
The designation is still a bill, waiting for Gov. John Kasich's approval. Then the signs will be install as soon as the weather permits.
