COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A local firefighters union is asking for the public's help with protecting the Fallen Firefighter Memorial at Memorial Park.
Kent Smith, with Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Local Five, says people have been camping at the site, leaving trash, drug paraphernalia, and graffiti behind. Smith says the problem started in August of this year.
"They're leaving graffiti. They're leaving drug paraphernalia. They're leaving trash. They're painting on the sidewalks. They are really just damaging the benches, the walls, the landscaping around the memorial site."
Smith says men and women across Colorado Springs help to protect the memorial, making sure the grounds are clean, the flags are taken care of, and the lighting works. He says the vandalism at the site cuts deeply.
"Behind every single one of these names inscribed in these walls is a story," Smith said. "It's a dad, it's a mom, it's a brother, it's a sister. And it feels incredibly disrespectful to have a memorial site like this damaged or vandalized.
It's hard to really capture in words what this place means. You kind of have to be here, and you have to feel it and you have to experience it."
Smith estimates the cost of the damage done to the site in recent months is in the $1,000s.
The Colorado Springs Police Department says the homeless outreach team has been working with the fire department to manage the unhoused population there.
Smith says the union is willing to help them get the resources they need to get back on their feet.
For now, they just want to make sure that the memorial is protected and respected. He's now asking the community for extra help to protect it.
"We asked for people to respect this place," Smith said. "We asked for people to respect the memorial site. We ask that they respect what it means to, to give the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty."
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