Following through on a suggestion by a 14-year-old girl, the Los Angeles Fire Department will be honored with an Award of Excellence star adjacent to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday, recognizing the agency’s bravery and public service battling the Palisades and Sunset fires in January.
The star will be unveiled during an 11:30 a.m. ceremony outside the Ovation Entertainment Complex on Hollywood Boulevard.
The honor was recommended by an eighth-grade student who lives clear across the country, Eniola Taiwo, who wrote a letter as part of a class assignment about personal heroes. Her letter was addressed to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, suggesting that firefighters who battled the deadly January fires were worthy of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“I know that the first responders aren’t exactly celebrities, contrary to all others on the Walk of Fame, but I am confident that there won’t be much opposition to recognize our modern-day heroes,” Eniola wrote. “This star for first responders will reach the hearts of many first responders and let them know that what they do is recognized and appreciated. … It will also encourage young people like me to be a change in the world.”
Inspired by that letter, the Chamber of Commerce and Hollywood Community Foundation teamed up to present the Award of Excellence, which is in the form of a star, although it’s not technically on the Walk of Fame. Similar awards have been presented in the past, with recipients including the Los Angeles Times, Variety, the Dodgers and Los Angeles Police Department fallen officers.
“This recognition is not only about honoring the bravery of the Los Angeles Fire Department, but also about celebrating the vision of a young student whose words reminded us all of the importance of gratitude and civic pride,” Steve Nissen, president/CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “Her letter was the inspiration to create a monument to bravery and service that will forever shine in Hollywood.”
The award and ceremony will be supported financially by the Walt Disney Co. LAFD Chief Jamie Moore and other department members are set to attend, along with Eniola and her family.
The star should read “FIREFIGHTERS”
Honoring ALL FIREFIGHTERS THERE !
LA CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT DID NOT ACT ALONE.
LA COUNTY Fire Department WAS THERE
CAL FIRE WAS THERE
Shame on Disney and the Chamber of Commerce to not recognize them all.
EVEN FIREFIGHTERS FROM OUT OF STATE AND COUNTRY WERE THERE : /