By Phil Davidson
Idaho Falls Post Register (Idaho)
Copyright 2006 The Post Register
All Rights Reserved
Firefighters from as far away as Nampa journeyed to Idaho Falls on Wednesday to honor former Idaho Falls Fire Marshall Mike Sheets, who died Sunday.
At least 20 ambulances and fire trucks lined Holmes Avenue at about 11 a.m. for a procession that stretched nearly a mile, said Deputy Fire Chief Rick Taylor, who helped oversee Sheets’ funeral.
The 49-year-old Sheets, who died of cancer, worked at the Idaho Falls Fire Department for 16 years. He also served on several statewide organizations, including the Idaho Association of Arson Investigators, and was well-known and respected for his knowledge of fire code enforcement, Taylor said.
Because of that, Sheets’ family and the department held his funeral services at the Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium to make room for the hundreds of mourners who attended.
“We thought we might have a problem seating everyone,” Taylor said.
Sheets’ death was mentioned on the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association’s Web site, which reported Monday, “It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we report the death of Idaho Falls Fire Marshall Mike Sheets.”
But his passing also struck a chord with local emergency personnel. In the early afternoon Wednesday, a Bonneville County dispatcher eulogized Sheets over the airwaves and finished by saying, “You will not be forgotten.”