The Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA), Manitoba Professional Fire Fighters Association (MPFFA) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) are offering an $11,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who desecrated the Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial at Queen's Park in Toronto around 9 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2008. The fire fighters are offering the reward through the Queen's Park Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police.

If you have information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this cowardly act, call the Queen's Park OPP Detachment at 416-327-2367.

A video showing the individual at the scene of the memorial has been made public by police. The suspect is described as a lone male, fair skinned with a thin build and short dark hair, 160 to 170 lbs. He was wearing a dark jacket and carrying a backpack.

The memorial, dedicated in June 2005, is inscribed with the names of 420 Ontario fire fighters who have died in the line of duty dating back to 1848. On the evening of May 12, an unknown individual spray painted anti-fire fighter slogans on three of the memorial's inscribed granite walls, and splashed a jar of paint on a fourth wall.

The damage to the memorial is considerable.

 "We would like to see the individual who perpetrated this cowardly and depraved act arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.

Fred LeBlanc, President of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, said "Someone out there knows who did this. We urge you to think of the families of our fallen fire fighters, and the sacrifice they made on behalf of the public, and help bring this person to justice."

For a copy of the news release click on the download below or click here for the Canadian News Wire.

Media coverage:

To view CTV's video coverage click here and see "Cops release image of memorial vandal" under the CTV video player.

Click here for City TV coverage.