Memorial for Fallen Firefighter Alex Keepers Unveiled

On December 31, 2007, Lieutenant Alex Keepers, with Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, was killed in an auto accident on his way to work. Since then, his family has channeled their grief into doing good within the community. 

According to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief of Operations Randall Shank, the Keepers family has "graciously directed donations to the Loudoun County Career Firefighters Hardship Fund, ARC of Loudoun and the Local 3756 Honor Guard."

On Sunday, the Keepers family was on hand to see yet another way that Lt. Alex Keepers' legacy will live on in Loudoun County, as a bronze sculpture dedicated to Keepers and his fallen brothers was revealed.

Edd Hayes of the Sunset Gallery in Houston, Texas was commissioned to build the sculpture, which took five months to complete. Lt. Keepers' actual protective gear was used to assemble a clay model which was then sent to the foundry for bronze casting.

The bronze cast makes up the top of the memorial, while the base has the Fireman's Prayer on one side and a dedication to Loudoun County's fallen firefighters on another. Inside of the sculpture is a bronze heart with an inscription chosen by the Keepers family,

"Son, Brother, Uncle, Friend, we have you in our heart. Your memory is our keepsake, with which we’ll never part. Until we meet again, you are our hero."

Keepers' sister, Monica Kirkpatrick, spoke at the event and expressed her gratitude to the community that has stayed close with her family in the years since her brother's death, saying, "I don't think people truly understand the brotherhood of Fire and Rescue unless they are part of the system and have seen it first-hand."

The memorial, which is currently inside of the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Training Center, will be permanently housed at the the burn pad on Courage Court in Leesburg, as part of a permanent fallen firefighter's memorial.