STL Crane Project Honors St. Louis Area Fallen Heroes in Forest Park

Patch editor Maggie Rotermund wrote this article.

The St. Louis Metropolitan area has lost 139 first responders since 1959. This weekend, the STL Crane Project honored them by covering Art Hill with 1,000 paper cranes.

The project began in 2012, when the group honored 133 first responders. In 2013, the group added six more names to that list. The six new fallen heroes include Chesterfield Police Department members Joseph Smith and Christopher Simpson. Christopher R. Parsons of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Jeffery Hudson, St. Louis City Fire Department; Timothy P. Jansen, Santa Fe Fire Protection District; and Kyle W. Deatherage of the Illinois State Police will also be honored. 

The Crane Project's large paper cranes were on display in Forest Park Aug. 17-18. 

See photos from the 2013 STL Crane Project ceremony on Facebook.

The cranes will be sold for $10. One hundred percent of the funds raised will go to The Backstoppers, an organization that provides financial assistance to the families of St. Louis area first responders killed in the line of duty, and Responder Rescue. 

To see a complete list of fallen firefighters, paramedics, police officers and other law enforcement officials, see the Backstoppers' site.