Portion of Forsyth Road to be named after fallen Orange County firefighters

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Feb. 24, 1989, was a rough day for members of the Orange County Fire Rescue family.

On that day, two of their own lost their lives after the roof of a building on fire collapsed and left the men trapped.

On the 30-year mark of that tragic day, the firemen are being honored with a section of Forsyth Road renamed in their memory.

"There's not a day that goes by that I try to figure out how I could've stopped it. I think we all do. What could we have done different," T.J. Lyon said. "Definitely one of my worst days."

Lyon was the assistant chief and shift commander in 1989. He remembers the Sunset Gift Center in Orlando, which still stands 30 years later, as the scene of the first major incident in the history of the Orange County Fire Rescue.

[RELATED: Stretch of road dedicated to honor Deputy First Class Norman Lewis | Law enforcement honor fallen heroes Norman Lewis and Debora Clayton]

Lyon remembered how his heart sank when, within seconds of his arrival, the roof of the gift shop collapsed. Three firefighters were inside, but only one escaped.

"(He) rolled out of the exit door. Air packed first, he actually broke the exit door that was illegally chained," Lyon said.

But Todd Aldridge and Mark Benge didn't make it out that day.

"It's important to remember. There's lessons learned. It's important to remember Mark and Todd, and why we do what we do today," Lyon said. "Today, we have policies in place, procedures in place, requirements. Two in, two out, for example. Making sure that when we go in that we have an acceptable team outside that can affect the rescue on firefighters that are in trouble."

Micah Naruo, a fairly new firefighter, said they're taught to be aware of building construction.

Because of the type of roof and the conditions that led to the collapse, the Aldridge-Benge Firefighter Safety Act was later created to alert firefighters of the risk of collapse with certain types of roofs.

Buildings with specific roofs are now required to display red sign with an "R" in a Maltese cross to alert firefighters. 

Beth Aldridge West said there's not a day that goes by that she doesn't think of her younger brother, Todd.

"Sometimes it feels like a long time ago. Most of the time it feels like yesterday. It's something you don't forget. I think about him every day," Aldridge West said.

She said she has little recollection from the day she got the news, but she still holds on to the memory of his laughter and devotion as a father. 

"He was, like, a mister mom before it was fashionable. Todd would call, like, four times a day," Aldridge West said. "Did the boy eat? What did he eat? Did he take a nap?"

Lyon said the two firefighters OCFR lost that day were some of the best.

"Mark was a relatively young firefighter paramedic -- the kind of guy you'd want on your crew. He was the one trying to do the best job and was always first to step up," Lyon said.

Aldridge West said it's important that the community continues to honor their memory.

"These guys cannot be forgotten. Actually, any firefighter cannot be forgotten because the fact is, the day that they sign on to become firefighters, that's when they give their lives over to the safety of the community," Aldridge West said.

Mayor Jerry L. Demings and Orange County Fire Chief Otto Drozd III were joined by family members, dignitaries and fire rescue personnel to unveil the new street sign. 

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