Crews will begin construction on a memorial for fallen firefighters in June. The monument, called "Eternal Valor" will be on the mall between the capitol and legislative building. 

"It's long overdue, if you ask me," Aaron Ford, D-Nevada Attorney General said. "These men and women put their lives on the line for us everyday, not knowing if they get to go home to see their loved ones."

Ford was one of the sponsors of SB540 during the 2017 legislative session, which approved the memorial. Dozens of firefighters, state leaders and recruits were on-hand for the ceremonial groundbreaking. It coincided with Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada day at the legislature. Gov. Steve Sisolak says the memorial has been a long time coming.

"They gave everything and their families gave everything," Sisolak said. "We sometimes forget the family that's associated with it. It's a line of work that they've chosen that's difficult. It's dangerous."

The memorial will include five life-size bronze sculptures of firefighters, black granite walls with the names of Nevada's 80 fallen firefighters. There will be four openings and the sculptures will be at ground level, so people can see and touch it. It will be an interactive display that utilizes technology.

"You're going to be able to take your electronic device, scan a cue code on the wall and immediately, you're going to be able to pull up every single name of those firefighters on the walls," Angelo Aragon, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada said. 

Each name will have a digital biography.

"You're going to be able to tell what their name is, the years of service they had, the year that they fell," Aragon said. "You're going to be able tell what department they came from, where they married. Did they have a wife? Did they have kids?"

The $500,000 monument is paid for with private and corporate donations, which have already contributed $344,000. There will be an unveiling ceremony on October 12.

"For us to acknowledge the fact that these firefighters have done that for the citizens of Nevada and for their families, it's very important for us to memorialize them forever," Aragon said.