The First Responders Memorial Advisory Committee has selected a location for the new memorial that will honor Irmo first responders who lose their lives in the line of duty. 

The committee advised Irmo Town Council at the regularly scheduled council workshop on Sept. 5 to place the memorial on the grounds outside of the Irmo Police Department on 1230 Columbia Ave. 

“We just submitted the bid packet to the council, from there we will have companies bid and submit their designs to us and then we will go from there on what we want,” said Andrea Grinstead, the committee chair. 

Grinstead is hopeful construction will begin shortly after a bid has been selected. 

The committee has chosen to erect a 10-foot obelisk that will have a patio and seating around the structure according to Grinstead. The structure will list those who died in the line of service and as of now, there will only be one name on the obelisk.

James Michael Muller, 25, died in the line of duty when responding to a massive multi-alarm apartment fire on May 26. He is the first firefighter to die in the line of duty in the history of Irmo’s Fire District, which dates back to 1963. 

“There will only be one name on this and hopefully it will stay that way,” Grinstead told the Chronicle.

The committee is made up of Mayor Barry Walker, Council Member Bill Danielson, and citizens Kirk Luther and Jean Howe. The fire department is being represented by Nick Powell and Libby Gober. Grinstead is the representative for Irmo law enforcement on the committee.

Council formed the committee in response to Muller's death. The committee has also decided to honor town employees who have lost their lives on the job. 

The committee hoped to have this project completed by May 2024 to honor the anniversary of Muller's death, but that seems unlikely due to the high demand for materials.

“We're not sure that to build a 10-foot obelisk, we'll be able to get the stone in time,” said Town Administrator Courtney Dennis. “Our goal is to put it out to bid, see what kind of timelines they can give us, and if we can't have it open by next May we’ll at least have a groundbreaking ceremony.”