'Tribute' balloon to visit Crump Park on 9/11

On Sept. 11, hot air balloon pilot Henry Rosenbaum will honor emergency responders at Crump Park (3400 Mountain Road) with an early morning display of his newest hot air balloon, Tiny the Fire Dog. Weather permitting, the 90-foot tall Dalmatian will be inflated at 7 a.m. and remain on display until 8 a.m.

Representatives from Henrico Fire and Henrico Police will join Rosenbaum at Crump Park.  Rosenbaum, in addition to being an avid balloonist, is also Henrico’s fire marshal. He dedicates his time and his fleet of three hot air balloons to promote public safety messages.

The balloon is a tribute to firefighters, law enforcement, and communications officers, right down to the name. Rosenbaum named it after R.C. “Tiny” Dawson, a retired Henrico Fire Deputy Chief who passed away in December 2021.

The Dalmatian is a universal symbol for the fire service and other emergency responders, and the collar represents emergency personnel who are no longer with us.  Rosenbaum notes that the colors also pay homage to emergency responders, and the ‘R’ in the registration number is a reminder to ‘Remember’ the 343 New York firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11.

A “Move Over” banner is also attached to the balloon to promote roadway safety for emergency responders and road workers.

“The ‘Move Over’ message is very personal for emergency responders,” Rosenbaum explains, citing Hanover Firefighter Lt. Brad Clark, who was killed in 2018 while on the scene of an accident.

Rosenbaum began piloting balloons in 1988 and has displayed public safety messages on his aircraft at events across the country. Tiny the Fire Dog is scheduled to fly at events in Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Florida later this year, and Rosenbaum has been invited to bring Tiny to England.

For details, visit https://tinythefiredog.com.