On Friday, December 12, a new name — or rather a new hero group — will be etched into the famous pink terrazzo of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. At the upcoming unveiling, the star won’t celebrate a singer or actor, but rather the often-unsung first responders of Los Angeles: the firefighters of the Los Angeles Fire Department. It’s an unprecedented recognition for a public service institution — and the spark that set it all in motion wasn’t a boardroom memo or a celebrity’s campaign, but a simple school assignment from hundreds of miles away.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
The new Walk of Fame Star for the Los Angeles Fire Department under construction. It will be unveiled on December 12, at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Eliona Taiwo and Jennifer Marganski. Photo Credit: The Amity Regional District.
The journey began in Orange, Connecticut, where a perceptive eighth grader named Eniola Taiwo sat down to write an essay about “heroes.” Instead of naming a pop star or movie icon, she thought of the men and women who run toward danger so others can run away from it. In her letter to the President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, she wrote: “I am writing to ask for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in representation of the first responders of California.” What she sent was handwritten, stamped, real — the kind of letter people rarely write anymore.
Her gesture struck a chord. The Chamber’s leadership wasn’t sure how their Walk of Fame process might accommodate a public-service group rather than a celebrity — but they didn’t dismiss the idea. Instead, they began to see the truth in her words: who deserved celebration more than this department that, throughout 2025, fought soaring wildfires in the Palisades and Sunset districts, battled heat, smoke, exhaustion, and chaos to protect Los Angeles? They decided that yes, the LAFD should be honored. The result: an “Award of Excellence” star to be unveiled this Friday morning in Hollywood.
Now, the LAFD — long defined by courage and community service — will take its place among the stars on a sidewalk where history, myth, and celebrity converge. The station plan calls for a public ceremony attended not only by firefighters, city officials, and community leaders, but also by Eniola Taiwo, her family, and her teacher — flown in from Connecticut especially for the event. The Chamber confirmed that the star’s installation is being underwritten in part by The Walt Disney Company.
For LAFD Chief Jamie Moore, the honor is more than symbolic. “An eighth grader would recognize a way of showing her gratitude to what our firefighters … throughout the country [... do] every single day,” he told reporters. “It speaks volumes.”
In many ways, this moment belongs as much to Eniola as to the department. Her simple assignment — a call to celebrate real heroism — triggered a rare break from Hollywood tradition. Stars on the Walk of Fame have for decades honored actors, musicians, directors, radio hosts, even sports teams, but seldom first-responder agencies. The move reflects a shift in what we celebrate, a widening of who counts as worthy of public memory. The LAFD’s star might be the first of its kind — but after 2025, it may no longer be the only one.
Looking down Hollywood Boulevard this Friday, visitors will see the new plaque among thousands of others — but its meaning will be different. It won’t mark a movie star’s rise or a singer’s tour; it will mark something deeper: civic responsibility, bravery, sacrifice, and the quiet acts of service that happen out of camera range. That the idea came from a thoughtful 8th-grader — from a child nearly 3,000 miles away — is all the more reason to believe that heroes don’t need publicity or fame, just honor.
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