It is a tribute to Lancaster County's emergency responders who have died in the line of duty.

A life-size statue depicting a police officer, a firefighter and an emergency medical technician arrived Thursday at Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center, where it will become the centerpiece of a memorial display.

"This is going to be a memorial to all of the fallen police officers, firefighters and emergency people from the county," said Ernest A. Rojahn Jr., editor of Pennsylvania Firemen magazine, who is involved with the project.

The statue will be set on a pedestal circled by a brick walkway, Rojahn said, and there will be stone slabs with the names of more than 60 emergency responders who have died on duty. Some names date back more than 100 years.

The statue was created by Art Research and Technology, 3050 Industry Drive. Becky Ault, owner of A.R.T., said she got involved with the project soon after she heard about it.

Contacting the county emergency training facility, she learned the project needed a financial boost. So A.R.T. donated $33,000 worth of technical services to the almost $70,000 project. Ault and her partner, Mike Cunningham, led the design team, gathering three local emergency workers, a policeman, a fireman and a female medical technician to pose for the piece.

"We made their appearance and their uniforms somewhat generic because we didn't want this to be a portrait of them. They are to represent everyone," Ault said.

A.R.T. technician Caroline Folkenroth spearheaded the making of the statue, assisted by some 30 A.R.T. artisans.

After it was molded, it was cast in bronze donated by Craig Freedman of Colonial Metals.

"That was so generous of him," Ault said.

The 2-ton statue is being stored in a truck bay at the training center until the memorial is ready. Construction awaits approval of the East Hempfield Township board of supervisors, but Rojahn believes that will happen soon. The tentative dedication date is Sept. 11.

"I'm not sure if we'll make that date or not, but thanks to these folks (at A.R.T.), the statue will be moved to the site and give us more visibility, and I think our donations will increase," Rojahn said.

Ault is proud of her company's role in making the memorial a reality. "We felt this was an honorable thing to do for the people who watch over us and take care of us," she said.

Other major donors include the Lancaster County Firemen's Association and the county commissioners.

Also among the major donors are the families of firefighter Jeffrey Jones and medical technicians Bruce Ditlow and Kevin Weatherlow, who lost their lives during a rescue call in June 1981.

E-mail: lalexander@lnpnews.com