Teen firefighter killed on bike given hero’s funeral 14-year-old firefighter is given a hero’s funeral
Published 9:00 pm Friday, May 10, 2002
Associated Press
BROOKHAVEN, Pa. – A 14-year-old firefighter killed while riding his bicycle to a blaze was given a hero’s funeral.
Hundreds of mourners watched Thursday as a fire engine carried Christopher Kangas’ casket beneath three arches of fire-engine ladders. Bagpipes played “Danny Boy” and “Amazing Grace.”
Kangas, the youngest member of the Brookhaven Fire Company, was struck by a car May 4 while riding his mountain bike to assist older volunteers.
The eighth-grader was too young to legally fight fires. But, when he turned 14, he joined a group of young volunteers who help out around the firehouse.
Kangas’ mother, Julie Amber-Messick, said he had dreamed of being a firefighter since he was a toddler, dressing up in boots and a raincoat.
“By all means he symbolized the ideal fireman,” said Fire Company Secretary Jim Parker, who gave the eulogy. “He was just a boy, but he was a firefighter and he understood his role and responsibilities and he embraced them.”
Police said no charges would be filed against the 16-year-old driver who hit Kangas.
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