Street Naming to Recognize Fallen Firefighters
Two Orange County Fire Rescue firefighters will be remembered on the 30-year remembrance of their deaths with a section of Forsyth Road to be named in their memory as the Firefighter Mark Benge, Engineer Todd Aldridge Memorial Roadway. The stretch of road encompasses Orange County Fire Rescue Headquarters and their training facility.
Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings and Orange County Fire Chief Otto Drozd, III will be joined by family members, dignitaries and fire rescue personnel for the honorary road designation ceremony, an honor which is reserved for public safety personnel killed in the line of duty.
On February 24, 1989, Engineer Todd Aldridge and Firefighter Mark Benge died after a roof collapsed on them while fighting a fire at Sunrise Gifts near Interstate 4 and State Road 535. A third firefighter, Richard Marcotte, survived the collapse. Because of the type of roof and the conditions that led to the collapse, the Aldridge-Benge Firefighter Safety Act was later created to alert firefighters of the risk of collapse with certain types of roofs. Buildings with these roofs are now required to display red sign with an ‘R’ in a Maltese cross to alert firefighters.
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Monday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m.
Orange County Fire Rescue Fire Headquarters
6590 Amory Ct., Winter Park 32807
About Orange County Government: Orange County Government strives to serve its residents and guests with integrity, honesty, fairness and professionalism. Located in Central Florida, Orange County includes 13 municipalities and is home to world-famous theme parks, one of the nation’s largest convention centers and a thriving life science research park. Seven elected members make up the Board of County Commissioners, including the Mayor, who is elected countywide. For more information, please visit www.OCFL.net or go to Orange County Government’s social media channels.