The Century Walk unveiled “Ladder of Light” by sculptor Paul Kuhn to commemorate Naperville’s four fallen firefighters on Monday, December 7, 2020, at Firemen’s Memorial Park, located at 1072 W. Jefferson Ave., just west of the DuPage River.
The sculpture, made of steel rod and tubing with a steel skin, features a firefighter leaning forward climbing a ladder. Two beams of light, only visible at night, simulate the verticals rails of a ladder. Kuhn describes the sculpture, “This (the beams of light) has a dramatic effect and helps give some tension to the sculpture. This helps put the viewer in the shoes of the heroes that put there lives on the line.”
Naperville’s fallen firefighters include Lieutenant Richard Rechenmacher, Engineer Jerry Herring, Firefighter Bernard Petrowski and Lieutenant G.S. Winckler. Family members of the firefighters were present to watch the unveiling and offer words of their sacrifice.
According to an entry in the Illinois Fire Service Institute Firefighter Record, “On December 7, 1970, the Naperville Fire Department received an alarm at 7:55AM for a house fire west of the city. Firefighters immediately responded, but a fire truck carrying five firefighters collided with a semi-trailer truck at the intersection of Illinois Routes 59 and 65. Several fatal car accidents had occurred at the intersection during the preceding years and traffic lights had been installed at the intersection only two weeks prior to the accident.
“Lieutenant Richard Rechenmacher, Engineer Jerry Herring, and Firefighter Bernard Petrowski, who were riding in the cab of the fire truck, were all thrown from the vehicle by the collision and killed instantly. Firefighter Mike Hill, who was also riding in the truck’s cab, was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but Firefighter James Heinke, who was riding on the tailboard of the fire truck, escaped injury. Mutual aid responders from the Moecherville Fire Department responded to the house fire, and the Downers Grove Fire Department sent firefighters and fire apparatus to Naperville to assist with fire calls.”
Twenty-one years later, another IFSI incident report reads, “On October 18, 1991, Lieutenant George Winckler of the Naperville Fire Department died in the line of duty during a training exercise. Winckler, who had been with the department since 1965, suffered a heart attack during a live burn training exercise at the department’s training tower. About ten minutes into the exercise, Winckler exited the tower and collapsed. The other firefighters immediately started CPR and called an ambulance, and Winckler was taken to Edward Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“On October 22, 1991, Winckler’s funeral was held at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Naperville. More than 100 fire apparatus from neighboring departments took part in the funeral procession, in which Winckler’s casket was carried in an antique fire truck to Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery.”
“Ladder of Light” is the 51st location of public art by Century Walk artists.
“Ladder of Light” is a collaborative project coordinated by the Naperville Fire Department, City of Naperville and Century Walk Corp. to commemorate fallen firefighters. The sculpture was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of Dec. 7, 1970.
