A huge polished bell reverberated Wednesday after Melanie O’Shea tolled it to remember her late husband, one of those honored during Fallen Firefighter Memorial Day ceremonies at Station 1 Downtown.

Fire Engineer Heath O’Shea died April 13 after suffering a medical emergency at Station 54 on Philips Highway.

After the somber ceremony ended, Melanie O’Shea spoke with the mayor and others as her late husband’s parents gazed at the memorial wall. His father, Christopher O’Shea, said his son carried on a proud tradition of firefighting that included his wife Catherine’s father, Jacksonville fire boat firefighter John Edmunds.

“This kind of representation of what the service that these young men present to everyone in the community is certainly something to be proud of. Keith comes from a family where we have had other members that served,” his father said. “I had an uncle who passed away in a fire in New York City in 1946. So the tradition of firefighters in the O’Shea and Edmunds family is something we are all very familiar with.”

Those at the ceremony also learned that the name of Station 19 Engineer Jason Woodruff will become the 27th added to the wall next year. The 11-year veteran died Nov. 13.

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Chief Keith Powers then told the audience of two firefighters injured two hours earlier as they battled a blaze on McConihe Street that left one person dead.

Firefighters who are injured trying to save victims, plus those killed nowhere near fire or accidents, showcase the dangers that Powers said they face on the job, as well as health problems because of it.

“Cancer is a big cause of a lot of our deaths because of the carcinogens we are exposed to in these buildings that are on fire,” Powers said. “Then we have two hospitalized as we speak, trying to pull a civilian out of a house fire this morning. So the fire can be there; they can be hurt in an accident or hit on an accident scene — there’s a lot of things these men and women face every day when they are putting their lives on the line to help keep all the rest of us safe.”

The memorial wall replaced one at the old Fire Station 3 museum, which was at a children’s park at what is now the construction site of the Four Seasons Hotel. The current wall was dedicated June 29, 1987, next to Station 1, with only 14 names at that time.

The shiny 3,000-pound brass bell next to the plaque once topped an early 20th century City Hall, until the late Wayne Doolittle, a retired firefighter, found it abandoned in 1986 in a city storage room.

The fallen firefighters

As this memorial ceremony began, each of the 26 names of the fallen were shown on helmets held by current firefighters lined up along North Liberty Street.

O’Shea’s name was on one of them, the first added to the wall since 2021.

One of the others was 36-year-old Fire Engineer Michael J. Freeland, who died Nov. 11, 2021, while trying to rescue a woman in a crash just blocks from Fire Station 73, where he worked.

Also added three years ago was Capt. Thomas Barber, 51, who died of a heart attack June 14, 2021, after coming home from a shift at Station 25, his family said. Then on Aug. 17, 2021, the coronavirus claimed 17-year-veteran Lt. Mario Moya, also 51.

The memorial bell was run as the names of each fallen firefighter was read out during a “Last Alarm Roll Call.” Each helmet was then placed on display next to the eternal flame and memorial statue in front of the fire station.

After O’Shea’s widow received the photo of her late husband, a plaque honoring him was given to his former fire station to hang there in his memory. Capt. Beth Harkins told the crowd about memories she had of O’Shea, a friend and co-worker.

“He was unapologetically himself, and it is what made each of us who knew him, love him,” she said. “Keith’s love for his family was evident in the emphasis he place on them and the delight he took in spending time with them. His passing has had a profound impact on his family, friends and colleagues, and his legacy will endure.”

The ceremony ended with a volley of 21 shots from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office honor guard. That was followed by Taps, then Amazing Grace performed by the fire department’s Fife and Drum Corps.

A lone bagpiper played the haunting song as he walked away from the station.