It was a lovely day to walk Ruston Way with three of my friends. Along the way I stopped to photo the Tacoma Fallen Firefighters Memorial near the Lobster Shop on Ruston Way.  The sculpture is called “Fully Involved” by Larry Perkins and it was dedicated in honor of those firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty in 2001. There are twelve names on the memorial with the most recent being from 1963. A plaque near the memorial tells me that the first volunteer fire company was formed in Tacoma in 1880 and the first paid fire department in 1889. The first African American firefighter joined the force in 1972 and the first woman firefighter  in 1981.