While the Coos Bay City Council continues to debate where to relocate its downtown fire station, Fourth Street will be the site of a major unveiling Saturday, Nov. 25.

That afternoon, the Coos Bay Firefighter's Memorial will be officially dedicated during a ceremony on the fourth anniversary of the Coos Bay Fire Department's most tragic response. By then, three brick-lined pathways will converge on a central statue representing the three firefighters who died in the line of duty on Nov. 25, 2002, fighting a blaze that consumed the Far West Trucking and Auto Store.

At a meeting of the Firefighter's Memorial Committee on Wednesday, Coos Bay Fire Chief Stan Gibson outlined plans for the ceremony and indicated all work should be completed by the middle of November. He did note that construction costs were higher than originally budgeted.

In order to remedy this situation, the Coos Bay Urban Renewal Agency approved a 10 percent contingency fund on Sept. 5, amounting to roughly $26,000 in reserve.

“Cost is becoming an issue,” said Coos Bay City Councilor Roger Gould, who serves as the committee chairman.

Aside from public outlays, fund-raising efforts have netted approximately $82,415.

Around $22,000 has been generated through the “buy a brick” donation drive. Community members who help fund the project get their name and a short message inscribed on a brick, which will then be installed along the edge of the three walkways.

On Thursday, the cement for the walkways was poured into place by David Bernstein, with Essex Construction of Eugene, who has carefully crafted the entire memorial over the past few months.

“David has done a tremendous job,” Gibson said. “He has rebuilt (the central structure) twice so every angle is perfect.”

The three bronze figures that are to stand atop the central facade are in varying stages of construction, but Gibson said they are all on schedule to be completed by the first week of November.

The fire chief concluded by noting the families of fallen firefighters Randall Carpenter, Jeffery Common and Robert Hanners will need to be contacted in order to determine what words to include on bronze plaques commemorating the three men.

In discussions regarding the ceremony, Gibson described an event that will include musical tributes, dedication speeches and a firefighter processional.

At 1 p.m., Coos Bay, North Bend and Charleston firefighters will lead a procession of uniformed servicemen and women down Fourth Street to the memorial accompanied by a drum and fife brigade. Family representatives will then be invited to speak before local officials offer a few words of their own.

Siuslaw firefighters, who spelled Coos Bay firefighters following the Nov. 25 tragedy, will be on call once again during the ceremony, allowing every one of Coos Bay's bravest to attend the ceremony.

In addition to the three life-sized statues, visitors on Nov. 25 will be surrounded by 11 newly planted trees. Each will represent one of the 11 children left behind by Carpenter, Common and Hanners.