State board hears broad public support for EMS memorial on Minnesota Capitol Grounds

Tina Chibuzu, a planner fellow with the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, opened a public hearing on an application to add an emergency medical services line-of-duty death memorial to the Minnesota State Capitol Grounds and summarized the regulatory review steps the board must take before a site can be selected.

The application to add the EMS memorial was submitted Jan. 9, 2025, by Adam S. Harvey, president and founder of the EMS LODD Memorial Foundation. Board staff found the application complete on March 7, 2025, and told the board it must determine whether the proposal meets the criteria in Minnesota Rules 2400.2703, subpart 2, before proceeding to site selection and design review.

The rules cited by staff require documented public support, lasting statewide significance, respect for Minnesota’s diversity and an educational or cultural value. Chibuzu told the hearing the board will consider written comments submitted during a 31-day public comment period that ran from June 9 to July 10, 2025, and the testimony taken at the hearing before making a recommendation to the board.

Speakers who supported the proposal included paramedics, firefighters, union representatives, honor-guard members, elected officials and private EMS providers. Sean Castro, a paramedic with MHealth Fairview, said he “strongly support[s] the addition of an EMS memorial to the Minnesota Capitol Grounds” and described visiting a temporary memorial after the Burnsville killings, saying a permanent space “would be greatly appreciated.”

Adam Plante, ambulance director for West Concord Fire and Ambulance and a member of the Minnesota EMS honor guard, said Minnesota could lead nationally by creating a fixed memorial for EMS providers; he noted there is not yet a permanent national EMS memorial. “It would be amazing for Minnesota to step forward and be leading that charge and showing that we respect that sacrifice,” Plante said.

Saint Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks, representing one of the state’s largest EMS providers, said his department responds to nearly 70,000 calls a year and that honoring EMS personnel would “intentionally call out the work that EMS personnel do each and every day.” Mike Cox, identified as president of the St. Paul Firefighters Local 21 honor guard, and Kyle Thornburg, president of St. Paul Firefighters Local 21, also voiced support.

Robert Ball, retired deputy chief of operations for Hennepin EMS and current chief of ambulance service for University of Minnesota EMS, said temporary national memorials are moved across the country and that Minnesota could provide a permanent place for families and colleagues to grieve. He also urged inclusion of tribal EMS providers in the memorial.

Adam Harvey, the applicant and president of the EMS LODD Memorial Foundation, summarized how the proposal addresses the rule criteria: he said the application included letters of support from agencies, unions and individuals across Minnesota; that the memorial would represent EMS statewide, including tribal EMS; and that the memorial would be educational for visitors to the Capitol Mall. Harvey told the board, “I respectfully urge the board to move forward this proposal, and to continue with site selection and detailed design review.”

No formal vote was taken at the hearing. Chibuzu described the next steps: staff will compile and summarize the written comments and testimony, then make a recommendation to the board whether the application meets Minnesota Rules 2400.2703, subpart 2. The board will convene a future meeting with another public hearing and vote on whether the application should move forward. If the board votes to advance the application, a site-selection study involving the applicant, board staff and architectural advisors will begin; the timing and duration of that study were described as not yet specified.

Supporters at the hearing emphasized that the memorial would recognize EMS personnel from public, private and tribal services and provide a permanent place for families and colleagues to mourn and for the public to learn about EMS’ role in Minnesota’s public safety history. Chibuzu closed the hearing after a brief recess when no additional comments were offered.

The application, staff memo and supporting materials are available on the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board website; the board will announce a date for further consideration and voting at a later time.