Town of Irmo unveils First Responders Memorial, honors anniversary of fallen firefighter

IRMO, SC (WOLO) — May 26th marked the one year anniversary of the passing of Irmo Firefighter James “J” Muller.

To pay tribute to him and others who serve the community, leaders with the Town of Irmo have unveiled a new First Responders Memorial.

The new monument is located at Irmo Town Park, just off of Columbia Avenue and Carlisle Street and will honor the men and women who serve as firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel.

For now a single name is engraved on its side — that of 25-year-old Muller who died while on duty just ahead of last year’s Memorial Day Weekend.

Irmo’s Mayor Bill Danielson says he prays Muller’s is the last name to ever be added.

“Every time I hear a fire alarm now, I hear a fire truck going down the road, I know what can happen. And I think everybody in Irmo knows what can happen, and our police department, our fire district, they are a part of this community, they’re a fabric of this community. And with all the negativity of the last three, four, five years, and still going on in this country, it stops here in Irmo. There is none of that in Irmo. We pull together, we love our community, and we love our first responders,” he says.

Irmo Fire Chief Mike Sonefeld spoke about Muller at Tuesday’s ceremony.

“J gave his life doing what he was born to do. He discovered his why. He gave more of himself in seven years, than I’ve been able to do in forty. His life was not wasted. But given to us as a model, excuse me, to share and celebrate,” says Sonefeld.

Also there to celebrate Muller’s life were members of his family, his wife Emma, and their son, Cole.

Sonefeld says Muller never thought of his service as work, because he loved being a firefighter and loved his community.

“If you go on the internet and just look at what they’ve captured on film about him, that’s jay. That’s what he was. The guys always joke about it. When I got there in the morning, he had already sweated more than I had in a week. And that’s just the way he liked to do things. Everything was 4th gear wide open. And he never stopped. And that was at home, as a father, and as a husband, it was great to see,” he says.

Irmo Town Park is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.