By Madeline King
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — Fire trucks lined up outside a funeral home in Chicago’s southwest suburbs on a gray and rainy Tuesday morning for the funeral of Michael Altman, a Chicago firefighter who died while working to put out a Rogers Park fire earlier this month.
The private services began around 10 a.m. at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn and then continued at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Alsip , according to the Chicago Fire Department. Altman’s funeral had been postponed from last week after his wife went into labor. The couple also has another young child.
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A CFD flag flew outside the funeral home, and one fire truck flew an American flag hanging from its extended ladder over the street. First responders lined the sidewalks, and police cars filled the parking lot.
Mark Conrad, 63, stood outside the funeral home Tuesday morning in his white officer cap to pay his respects. Conrad retired from CFD in 2017 after 29 years of service. He said he worked as a firefighter and then lieutenant in Lincoln Park and even worked alongside Altman’s father.
Altman, 32, was a fourth-generation Chicago firefighter. This coming May would have marked his second anniversary with the CFD, according to department officials.
Conrad said tragedies like the one that took Altman’s life remind him and other firefighters of the job’s danger. Still, the honor of being called to public service outweighs the risk, Conrad said.
“We’re like a family,” Conrad said about CFD. “When we lose a member, it really hurts.”
The Chicago Fire Department was joined by the @Chicago_Police & suburban, Fire & Police departments as we honored our fallen Brother Michael Altman during a final ceremonial walkthrough. Thanks for the love & support to the Altman & CFD families. pic.twitter.com/O4wHSSwTYE
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) March 27, 2026
An Avondale man has been charged with separate counts of murder, aggravated arson and residential arson in connection to the March 17 fatal fire in the 1700 block of West North Shore Avenue. Altman suffered critical injuries after he fell through the floor into a room engulfed in flames, according to a family fundraiser.
John Miller, a 22-year-old fire lieutenant with the Blackhawk and New Milford Fire Protection District outside Rockford, stood outside in the rain on his day off to witness Altman’s funeral procession. Although he didn’t know Altman, Miller said he came to support Altman’s family and honor him as a fellow firefighter.
“We show up for strangers,” Miller said. “It’s the least we can do to show up for each other.”
Miller said he first became interested in becoming a firefighter as a kid when his neighbor’s house caught fire. His childhood dream, which turned into a career, is “rewarding,” he added.
Miller said that as firefighters, he and his colleagues often see hard things on the job. But he knows the devastation that can happen without them.
“The job is very near and dear to my heart. It always will be,” Miller said. “So these processions — these services — they’re very sad, but they’re also beautiful in their own way.”
At around 11 a.m., firefighters poured out of the funeral home’s doors. They stood against the entrance in uniform next to first responder vehicles as they made a path for Altman’s family and other service attendees.
Firefighters saluted as others lifted Altman’s casket into the bed of a fire truck while “Amazing Grace” played on the bagpipes.
The procession began with police leading. An ambulance and two fire trucks — one with the casket inside — followed with limousines and family members’ cars close behind.
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