Eagle Scout project to honor fallen Des Plaines fireman

An Eagle Scout project this summer aims to honor the only Des Plaines fireman in history killed in the line of duty as he rescued two unconscious construction workers from a sanitary sewer filled with methane gas nearly 50 years ago.

After saving the workers, Robert Paul Coombs fell roughly 35 feet down the sewer shaft while trying to climb out the manhole. Fellow firemen attempted to hoist him up with a rope, but a second fall killed the 33-year-old firefighter.

Scout Maxwell Jacobs, 16, an Elk Grove High School sophomore and a Navy JROTC cadet, told the Des Plaines city council this week that he plans to build a rose garden memorial for Coombs to earn his Eagle Scout badge.

Jacobs, a member of Boy Scout Troop 62, said he learned about Coombs while working on his fire safety merit badge at Fire Station No. 3. A small sign on the street adjacent to the fire station bears Coombs’ name, the street is named after him, and there is a small plaque honoring him in a building where old fire gear is on display.

“I kept thinking to myself, is this all there is to honor a brave man who gave his life in our service?” Jacobs said.

Jacobs says he wants to do something more to recognize Coombs’ heroism, so he pitched his Eagle Scout project to Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax and the firefighters’ union.

“I want to construct a rose garden memorial centered around the big boulder that sits on the lawn facing Thacker Street,” he said. “We’re going to flank the boulder with two flag poles flying the American and Des Plaines city flags. We’re going to surround the rock with unobtrusive split-rail fencing. The perimeter covered by the fence will be lined with rose bushes.”

Jacobs said he plans to place a statue of a fireman in front of the boulder with a simple dedication plaque, and install a couple of benches nearby for people to sit and enjoy the garden. A large sign on the fence facing Thacker Street will identify the area as Robert P. Coombs Memorial Rose Garden, he added.

“Max has done an excellent job of planning, organizing, and implementing this project,” Wax said. “We admire his initiative, and we are honored that, of all the projects he could have chosen to complete as part of attaining his Eagle Scout designation, he chose this one to recognize a fallen Des Plaines firefighter.”

Jacobs is currently raising funds. The firefighters union has given $250 toward the project, and donation jars have been placed in each of the fire stations for individual contributions, Jacobs said.

Donations also may be sent care of Fire Chief Alan Wax to the Des Plaines Fire Department, 405 S. River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016. Checks should be made out to “Max Jacobs for Firefighter Coombs Memorial.”

Jacobs hopes to build the memorial over several weekends in May, with an official dedication planned for early June.