With heavy involvement in his hometown fire Explorer post and a family history with the fire department going back multiple generations, Russell P. knew, even as a young Scout, that he wanted to become an Eagle Scout and that, when it came time to work on his Eagle project, he wanted it to have a connection to the fire department and the firefighter heroes that served his community.

As he sat in on a meeting of his local Fire and EMS Association, the topic arose of how the group could remodel the town’s aging stone monument commemorating the firefighters who had served the city. The Milford Daily News shares details on how Russell knew that would be a great opportunity to showcase his interest and commitment to Scouting and the local fire department. So he spoke to the association and got the OK to move forward with the remodel as his project.

In the weeks that followed, Russell worked with both the local fire department and the separate fire association to ensure that both groups had input in the remodel of the monument. He said that coordination was among the most important aspects of the project.

The finished monument offered an improved structure and moved the monument to a place where the people of the town could see it and reflect on the commitment and sacrifice of the heroic firefighters that serve their city.

“It came out better than I ever could have expected it,” Russell told the Milford Daily News. The fire department even sent him a letter of thanks for his efforts.

With the successful completion of the Eagle project and other requirements, Russell earned his Eagle Scout rank late last year.

You can read the full account of Russell’s Eagle project honoring his town’s local firefighter heroes in the Milford Daily News.