Firefighter Crafts Bell To Honor 'Charleston 9'

BROOKSVILLE - Scott Adams is only one firefighter among hundreds who have come from around the country to pay his respects at the Charleston Fire Department in South Carolina.

But his gratitude will ring for years to come.

This Wednesay marked the one year anniversary of a furniture store fire that killed nine members of the Charleston Fire Department - the deadliest single disaster for firefighters since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Though separated from the tragedy by hundreds of miles, the loss was keenly felt by Adams. It was a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of public service, not just in his line of work as a firefighter, but also for his brother and father in law enforcement.

"It's always been something in the back of my head," said Adams, a driver engineer and paramedic at Station 11 on Barclay Avenue. Be it fire, police or military, public safety officers put their lives on the line "to make life better for us."

To honor that sacrifice, Adams, 36, began preparing a bell crafted from the steel oxygen tanks that give firefighters fresh air in a fire. His inspiration came from a similar bell he saw at a convention in New Jersey.

His grand idea, however, came with no plans.

"I was never a mechanical person," Adams said. "I just sat around in my barn one night and put stuff together."

All told, Adams put about 75 hours of work into the project, but he had plenty of help along the way. A fabrication shop cut the SCBA tank in half; a fellow firefighter, Chet Merry, built the wooden frame to mount the bell; a tattoo artist airbrushed the surface.

The central feature on the bright red tank is a large number 9 and beneath it are the abbreviated names of each firefighter killed. In large letters above the number is the inscription R.F.B, for "Remember Fallen Brothers."

Determined to get the gift to Charleston before the anniversary, Adams and Merry made the 6 1/2-hour road trip between 24 hour shifts last Monday.

The Charleston firefighters were pleasantly stunned by the gift. One of the assistant chiefs later told Adams he didn't mean to be rude when he left the room, but he was starting to tear up.

"They were honestly expecting just a regular style bell," Adams said.

As ambassadors of sorts for Hernando County, Adams and Merry spent a few hours with the chiefs talking shop before heading back home.

On Friday, Capt. H.W. "Bubba" Bazemore at Station 2 in Charleston, said the gift was greatly appreciated.

"The fire department has been through a lot in the past year, but people couldn't have been any better to us," he said.