July 04--FAIRBURY -- Those who knew Brian Munz -- and it seems like everyone in Fairbury did -- had their own way of describing the 24-year-old, who viewed his role as a volunteer firefighter with such passion the fire department revised its by-laws to allow him to join the force before he turned 21.
But one theme is consistent.
"Brian was such a Fairbury person," said his mother, Karen.
Munz died July 22, 2008, at OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac. Rescue personnel -- those who he'd befriended -- rushed him there after he was injured fighting a house fire in nearby Forrest.
"But out of a tragic mishap, sometimes, good can happen," said Fire Chief LeRoy McPherson this week, during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $1.1 million public safety complex in Fairbury.
Naturally, it will be named the Brian J. Munz Public Safety Complex and could be in operation by the end of the year.
About 150 Fairbury residents showed their support for the project on Tuesday by attending a ceremony where Karen and Brian's father, Jim, buried a shovel in the gravel-filled parking lot next to the current building, officially beginning the construction process. The rest of the town contributed, too. Nearly $300,000 was raised through memorials in memory of Brian Munz and a variety of fundraising events.
Then, in March, voters approved issuing $500,000 in bonds to finance the rest of the project.
"When I think of Brian, I think of how proud he would be of this," said his father. "I know that has had a big impact on the ability to raise money for this project. People are showing what they think of our first responders in this community, knowing we have firefighters out there earning $10 on a call. On previous calls, we have had multiple injuries, and then, ultimately, the loss of Brian. We have our EMTs out there, risking their lives. Every one of those calls, we know now, could be the last call for them and everyone in this town now recognizes it."
The safety complex will replace the current 44-year-old facility that has a leaky roof and little room for training; the department's engines barely fit inside. The new facility also will house three ambulances for the South East Livingston County Ambulance Service (SELCAS). A separate agency, SELCAS is raising its own money to pay for its portion of the building.
Fairbury Mayor Lynn Dameron said the complex is a fitting tribute to the Munz family.
"It's a big day for the city and a big day for the Munz's," he said. "It was a tragedy and Brian was always one of the first ones there and he was well-trained. If anybody needed help, he would help them. But Karen has worked so hard with her friends and the firemen and they have probably contributed about $290,000 just from their work. It is something long needed and what this amounts to is something good is coming out of an awful tragedy."
The 8,000-square-foot facility will be something that Brian would have appreciated, said McPherson.
"He was very dedicated to training and this will provide us with an area for training, plus some extra equipment, and things to make our department and our town safer," he said. "It's the kind of facility he would have wanted. He cared so much about what we had. But he would have been so proud to have his name on it."
His mother agreed.
"I know that Brian is looking down today with a big smile on his face," she said. "He loved being a firefighter and he was proud of it. Now, our town will have a facility named in his honor and from here on out, nobody will ever forget about him or the sacrifice he made."
Copyright 2013 - The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
