Ft Wayne Times

Battalion Chief Eric J. Balliet Memorial Parkway Dedication

Family, friends, firefighters, police officers and local officials gathered today to honor a fallen hero and dedicate a portion of Main Street downtown as the Battalion Chief Eric J. Balliet Memorial Parkway, on the anniversary of the day his watch ended while on duty.

“Eric was a member of the Fort Wayne Fire Department for nineteen years and held many positions of leadership within the Department,” said Fort Wayne Fire Chief Eric Lahey.  “Battalion Chief Balliet became a paramedic while in his teens, serving as a firefighter, deputy coroner, and an officer in the Sheriff's reserve. Within our department, he served in the fire operations division, arson investigations, and was a part of the Hazardous Materials Team and Water Rescue Team.”

The Battalion Chief Eric J. Balliet Memorial Parkway will run from the historic Fort Wayne Fire Department Station 1 along Main Street, past the Courthouse and Sheriff’s Department, ending at Broadway Street, where Battalion Chief Balliet performed services as a Deputy Coroner at the Phillip O'Shaughnessy Forensic Center.

“This special recognition of Eric's service will benefit our community and will serve as a daily reminder of Eric's service to his community, the sacrifice that our first responders are willing to make, and that success is dependent on perseverance and dedication to a mission,” said Chief Lahey.

Original source can be found here.