Palatine honors fallen firefighters

A Palatine fire engine draped in purple and black bunting pulled up beside the village's firefighters' memorial.

Just behind it, an honor guard of five firefighters marched in a tight formation, making their way toward a wreath-laying ceremony held Saturday morning to honor firefighters who died in the line of duty.

Many of the fire department's 100 firefighters surrounded the memorial, at the corner of Slade and Brockway streets. Half of them wore their formal dress uniforms, while the rest arrived in their protective turnout gear.

The ceremony took place 35 years to the day after a fire ripped through a downtown Ben Franklin store, killing three firefighters.

It was only the second time that the village had lost firefighters in the line of duty. Two were also killed in 1946.

Palatine firefighter Albert Martin described the 1973 scene, when 47 firefighters -- nearly all volunteers -- responded from their homes on a cold February morning before dawn.

The first three, Warren Ahlgrim, Richard Freeman and John Wilson, inched their way into the store before heading down to the basement, where the fire appeared to have started.

"Conditions changed dramatically, and the intense heat and smoke were too much for our three brothers," Martin told the crowd, before describing each officer and telling of the wives and children they left behind.

Captain Scott Ohlrich said the Ben Franklin fire was a benchmark in the village's history. Less than two years later, it went to a full time, professional firefighting department.

On hand to see the ceremony were family members of the firefighters who were killed including Dave Freeman, younger brother of Richard Freeman, and Rose Ahlgrim, widow of Warren Ahlgrim, with their son, John.

"It was a tough day," recalls Dave Freeman of losing his 26-year-old brother. "They thought they had it under control."

Rose Ahlgrim never remarried after losing her 32-year-old husband, though she stayed in Palatine to raise her children.

"This stirs up a lot of memories, but it's a comfort that the remembrance is so heartfelt," she said. "And it's nice to know it will go on, that it will be a tradition.

"We waited a long time for this," Ahlgrim said. "They promised us a memorial right after it happened."