Firefighter funeral yesterday?

[downtownguy]

Yesterday, Monday April 20, I was at the intersection of W Grand Blvd and Grand River when a large funeral procession went by. It was just about 1pm. and came with a police escort. At the front of the procession were two or three fire trucks draped in black. I assumed it was for a firefighter. I hadn't heard of any firefighter deaths on the news in the last few days, and a search of google, the News and Freep turned up nothing.

Does anybody know the details behind this?

[DetroitPlanner]

I've attended some Detroit firefighter funerals. I was raised in a neighborhood that was loaded with city employees. Not all of them die while on the job. Most get this sort of send-off. The latest one was a friend's father who died of lung cancer. He had to retire early due to health issues, one can't tell if the cancer was caused by eating smoke, but who really knows?

[Buy American]

I am quite sure the funeral was for a Detroit Firefighter who passed away last Thursday or Friday from cancer. He was a sergeant in the department.

[downtownguy]

Thanks for the replies, DetroitPlanner and Buy American. As you point out Planner, I suspected the death was not "on the job" or I'm sure it would have been covered by the "daily" papers. I have the highest admiration and respect for these heroes. Assuming I didn't miss it, it's a shame that neither paper could find a little space to write an obituary even though he may not have died while actively fighting a fire.

[DetroitPlanner]

There is an impressive firefighters monuent up in Roscommon Michigan. I'd recommend everyone visit it if heading north. It is not too far off of I-75. I was shocked to see how many names from my past had been written on the walls.

[wash_man]

"There is an impressive firefighters monuent up in Roscommon Michigan."

They also have a large festival each year that is well attended.

http://www.firemensmemorial.org/

[jba]

In Memory of Sgt. Torin Thornhill


[[4-14-09)


Active Sergeant Engine Company 40


Rest in Peace

[7051]

A number of our members die every year from job related causes....the cause of these deaths are just not as dramatic [[to the public and the media) as deaths at fires or from responding vehicle accidents.

But dead is dead anyway one looks at it.....

This Sergeant was hardly 40 when he contracted a rare throat cancer and he never smoked. We lose a few on the job to cancer and an even greater number are forced to retire well before they should do to career ending injuries every single year.

Largest amount of vacant property in the country 30 years running = busiest fire department per capita[[second place is not even close to us) in the world = highest injury and cancer death rate yet lowest "deaths per fire" rate unfortunately due to high "experience" levels.

The media stopped covering the DFD on a daily basis, for the most part, over 25 years ago as the unthinkable in other major cities became the multiple routine daily fire occurence here.