The names of six local firefighters who have died over the past few years will forever be part of a memorial garden at a hospital where many of them visited and took patients to, thanks to hospital staff and administration.

“It’s a fitting tribute that they remain part of GlenOaks Hospital, even after they have passed on,” said Bloomingdale Fire Protection District Chief David Christensen. “They’re forever part of this place.”

Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights honored local fallen paramedics and firefighters during a ceremony Monday, where six deceased members of four local fire departments were honored with individual bricks inscribed with their names that will become a permanent part of a memorial area in the hospital’s Wellness Garden.

The event was held to coincide with the 35th annual National Emergency Medical Services Week, which brings together local communities and medical personnel to publicize safety and honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine’s front line, hospital officials said.

Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Parro said the staff at the hospital arranged the memorial service as a tribute to the firefighters and paramedics who served the residents of the hospital community. They also paid for the bricks that will be part of the garden’s walkway with the names of the men on them, their department, and years of service to that community.

“The firefighters and paramedics that serve our community are true heroes,” said Brinsley Lewis, CEO of Adventist GlenOaks Hospital. “It is our duty to honor them not just today, not just this week, but every day for the selfless service they provide.”

The hospital unveiled the memorial bricks during a ceremony that featured the fire chiefs of each of the districts represented with the traditional tolling of the bell, which often is done to recognize fallen firefighters.

Mary Palamidis, the mother of deceased firefighter/paramedic Lee Palamidis of the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District, said she was thankful to the hospital for recognizing her son, who died in 2007.

“This is very nice, everything they have done has been wonderful,” she said. “I’m very grateful that Lee’s name will forever be remembered here.”

One of those recognized at the ceremony was Anthony Reynolds, 27, a four-year firefighter/paramedic who died earlier this spring while jogging near his Carol Stream home after suffering a heart attack.

His mother, Lourdes Reynolds, was present at the service. She said the permanent memorial in the hospital’s garden was a perfect tribute to the life of her son.

“We are shocked that the hospital took the time and the effort do this for Anthony and these men,” Reynolds said. “It’s a beautiful gesture that I will not forget.”

Addison Fire Protection District Chief Leigh Fabbri, who served under former district chief Michael Puntillo until he retired in 1986, described Puntillo has a “good man who grew the Addison department by leaps and bounds.”

“It’s an honor to be here to remember Michael,” he said. “Much of the knowledge, what I learned from him, I now use as the chief of the department he served for over 20 years.”