A public bronze monument honoring those who fought & defeated the Caldor Fire. IOBY doesn't reflect total dollars raised through local nonprofit. IOBY is the online fundraising portal.
Leader
Darby Patterson
Location
Lakewood Pollock Pines, CA 95726
The bronze Tribute to the Heroes of the Caldor Fire is a way to express collective, lasting gratitude to organizations and people who stepped forward to fight the fire, provide support, shelter fire victims, and care for their animals.
In August and September 2021, The Caldor fire burned 221,775 acres over 347 square miles. Almost 800 structures were lost. The fire consumed nearly 2/3 of the Grizzly Flats community. Scores of firefighting teams on land and in the air fought the fire for more than two months. Law enforcement, nonprofits, businesses, and volunteers stepped up to help as 53,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
Heartfelt handmade signs appeared to thank the heroes who finally tamed the fire. Grateful families returned home. The bronze Tribute to the Heroes of the Caldor Fire is a permanent, public acknowledgment of the skills, bravery, and commitment it took to manage and defeat the powerful wildfire.The bronze monument will endure weather and time over many centuries.
Technical process: From sketches developed by the artist, plasticine clay is applied to each panel. There are six images, each representing an aspect of the Caldor Fire event. Once completed, urethane mold material is applied to the surface. When dry, the clay is removed, and there is a negative image of the work. Slurries of wax are poured into the mold to create a new positive image - the wax is then worked by the artist before delivery to the bronze foundry. There, a similar process is repeated up to the pouring of bronze into silica molds. Cleaning, finishing, and patina follow the pour. Basic steps in this process are thousands of years old.
Donations to the project will be used to pay for materials and the guidance of a mold-making expert. The most significant expense will be the foundry and finishing process which requires highly skilled labor, expensive materials, and foundry time. There may be additional expenses for transporting and installation of the finished monument as well. Our intention is to solicit donations of labor and materials from local trades to assist with installation at the appropriate site.
Throughout the development of the sculpture, the team will be engaged in outreach to gain community, financial, and volunteer support.
As of June 2022, most of the sculpting work is in final stages. Rubber molds are being made and one urethane mold is ready for wax. The goal is to have waxes ready for transport to the foundry by September. The foundry process will take about 2 months - with the goal of installing the monument by the end of 2022 or the start of the new year - marking the anniversary of the Caldor Fire and its aftermath.
The Caldor Fire erupted in a largely rural area that spanned the distance between high country Tahoe and the foothills of El Dorado County. In August and September 2021, the fire burned 221,775 acres over 347 square miles. Almost 800 structures were lost. The fire consumed nearly 2/3 of the Grizzly Flats community. Scores of firefighting teams on land and in the air fought the fire for more than two months. Law enforcement, nonprofits, businesses, and volunteers stepped up to help as 53,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The effort to sustain evacuated families and protect their homes was unprecedented. Thousands of people volunteered to shelter and feed families. Others patrolled evacuated communities to ensure safety and security. Fire crews showed up from throughout the West - on the ground and in the air. Businesses in evacuated communities opened their doors to serve professionals and volunteers with access to food and facilities. Fire officials developed information systems to keep people advised with daily reports from the field until conditions finally allowed families to return home. And, still, people remained committed to community well-being - helping each other with clean-up and repair from damage done over weeks of vacancy, gathering up charred embers that spoke to how close they'd been to losing it all.
Heartfelt handmade signs appeared to thank the heroes who finally tamed the fire - some painted, others in crayon and chalk. Telephone poles and fences shouted out colorful gratitude to thousands who tamed the fire and those who offered shelter and sustenance. With time those bright messages have faded, but the appreciation of those who served the common good has not. The bronze Tribute to the Heroes of the Caldor Fire is a permanent acknowledgment of the skills, bravery, and commitment it took to manage and defeat the powerful wildfire. A place for people to gather, remember and honor the strength of community.
