By Caity Coyne
The Charleston Gazette
BELLE, W.Va. — A crowd of more than 2,500 people made their way to Riverside High School, in Belle, on Saturday afternoon for the funeral of Michael Edwards, one of two Pratt Volunteer Fire Department firefighters who died in a crash earlier this month.
Edwards, who served as Pratt VFD’s assistant chief, died March 24 while responding to a triple-fatality wreck on the West Virginia Turnpike. A firetruck carrying him and four other firefighters ran off Paint Creek Road into a ditch, hitting a rock wall.
Lt. Thomas Craigo was also killed, and the three others were sent to Charleston Area Medical Center. Firefighter Kyle Jenkins was released Sunday with minor injuries, and Pratt VFD Chief Timmy Walker and firefighter Billy Hypes remain at CAMC.
“Today is a sad, sorrowful day,” said Marty Blankenship, chief of the Glasgow VFD in Kanawha County. “It’s a tragic event for the families, and also for the firefighters here.”
Edwards’ funeral brought firefighters from all across the state together, some traveling from as far away as Hardy and Mineral counties, said Blankenship.
“They’re here to show support for their brother — give him a proper firefighter send-off,” Blankenship said. “Aside from the tragedy, it’s a touching moment. It shows the bond of brotherhood and of fire services.”
Dozens of state troopers, police officers, emergency service personnel and others from federal agencies showed up, as well. The high school’s parking lot was filled with firetrucks and police officers. The gym where the services were held was packed, Blankenship said, and some sat on the floor.
Blankenship, and Bradley Scott, Malden VFD’s assistant chief who also serves as assistant state fire marshal, said they had known Edwards for years.
Edwards loved the outdoors, they said, and in his position as assistant fire chief, he was all business.
“That was always first and foremost,” Blankenship said. “He was still your friend, and a great friend, but he was passionate about his job.”
Passion, Blankenship said, is an integral part of being a community firefighter.
“It’s a passion you get, but it’s not only in serving the community,” he said. “It’s about helping each other, other firemen who lost one of theirs.”
Blankenship and Scott aren’t strangers to tragedy. In 2010, Blankenship lost a firefighter in the line of duty, as did Scott in 2013, they said.
Other Kanawha County fire detachments have been helping cover Pratt’s area while the department’s members grieve. Moving on from something like this isn’t easy, Scott said, and it isn’t quick.
“It’s a slow rebuilding process,” Scott said. “It’ll take time, and I’m not sure you ever get over it, but they will find closure. They’ll get through it. It’ll take time, but we’ll be here for them.”
Copyright 2018 The Charleston Gazette
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