“Chris was a fireman’s fireman, one of our best.”
That's what Montgomery County Battalion Chief Rafael Gibson called his fellow colleague and friend, Master Firefighter Christopher Higgins, 46, who answered his final alarm Saturday night.
“I can’t say enough good things about him,” Gibson told WUSA9.
He responded to calls with Higgins for years while they were stationed in Burtonsville.
But the connection extended beyond the firehouse doors.
"He knew our family. We knew his family. His wife, our kids, we spent holidays together. He was one of the best."
As Higgins’ colleagues cope with his loss, fire officials are thanking the community for giving them time to grieve.
“We’re allowing the people most impacted to guide that,” said MCFRS Chief Corey Smedley. “People want to show up at the station. And we’re telling them, we’re giving our people time in the manner they need to get through this.”
Fire and rescue personnel saluted as Higgins’ made a final drive through the Burtonsville Fire Station. Emergency apparatus escorted him to a funderal home in Anne Arundel County.
Details about public visitation and fire department memorial service
The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 at Light House Church, 6691 Baymeadow Drive, Glen Burnie, MD 21060. A Fire Department Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.
A private funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 24 at Saint Jane Frances De Chantal Catholic Church, 8499 Virginia Avenue, Riviera Beach, MD 21122.
Interment in Glen Burnie also will be private.
