Project profile: West Park Police and Fire Memorial

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how Kichler Lighting is helping a community remember and honor their heroes. 

Just west of downtown Cleveland, Ohio sits the West Park neighborhood. This vibrant area is known for its quiet, green spaces and family friendly atmosphere. It is also known for being an enclave for many of the larger city’s first responders and their families. 

In 2002, leaders in West Park began an initiative to honor the heroes in their neighborhood and started working on the Police and Firefighter Memorial. Located on one of West Park’s main streets, the memorial features a pedestal engraved with the names of West Park residents who lost their lives in the line of duty. Surrounding this market are a collection of U.S. flags, one per honoree. Each of these flags needed to be individually and respectfully illuminated in accordance with U.S. flag code.  

But there were some unique challenges that the original lighting installed faced, namely Ohio’s notoriously harsh winters. By 2018, only five of the original 23 lights were still operational. This is where Kichler Lighting comes into the picture. Denny McCafferty, a retired Cleveland firefighter and West Park resident, who now serves as the Memorial’s keeper, reached out to Kichler during his search for solutions. Kichler, which is based in Independence, Ohio, was quick to jump in and donate the needed lights to restore the memorial.  

The Kichler team provided 35-degree, 12V LED accent lights for the space. These lights were designed for adaptability and durability. Like all of Kichler’s professional-grade, landscape light fixtures, they are tested in the U.S. lighting industry’ only class 4 lab against rain, extreme heat, cold and UV. Their design also uniquely allows for easy adjustment between three-lumen levels, which means the flags will be perfectly illuminated throughout the year. The cherry on top is Kichler’s industry leading 15-year warranty!  

The lights were installed by local lighting contractor Dan Husney, who had this to share about the installation, “This is really Kichler Lighting’s top-of-the-line fixture. The optics are phenomenal and make the flags practically ‘glow’ in the dark of night. And the LED technology will help the community realize about a 75 to 80 percent savings in utility costs.” 

Learn more about this incredible project online!