By Sarah C. Johnson
Hickory Daily Record
HICKORY, N.C. — Hickory Fire Engine No. 2 was adorned with black fabric on Wednesday. A casket covered in an American flag rode on top of the truck.
The casket carried the body of Jake Bridges, a 20-year-old Hickory firefighter who died on June 5.
Fire Engine No. 2 was the truck Bridges worked from while responding to calls. Bridges died at Frye Regional Medical Center after suffering from a medical emergency after responding to an early morning house fire on June 5, according to previous news releases from the Hickory Fire Department.
The fire truck transported Bridges’ casket from Bennett Funeral Home to the Hickory Metro Convention Center. Hundreds of firefighters and emergency personnel from Catawba County, North Carolina and other states participated in the processional.
About 1,000 people attended the funeral on Wednesday, including Bridges’ childhood friend Mason Simmons . Simmons performed his song “Catch You Next Time” at the service. Simmons said he wrote the song for Bridges shortly after learning of his death.
“If you see Jake, won’t you tell him, I’ll catch him next time,” Simmons sang. Simmons’ song reminisced about their childhood, playing baseball together and how much Simmons would miss his friend.
Hickory Fire Chaplain Jason Hines said Bridges would be missed by all of his fellow firefighters. Hines said Bridges’ family will always be considered part of the Hickory Fire Department family.
“It’s OK to cry as long as you remember to laugh. It’s OK to be angry, just remember to find joy,” Hines said.
The day Bridges died
Hickory firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire on 15th Avenue NE shortly before 2 a.m. on June 5. The fire was extinguished, and firefighters cleared the scene at 4:52 a.m., the department said previously.
After returning to the station, firefighters worked to get Hickory Fire Engine No. 2 back in service. At 5:08 a.m., Bridges experienced a medical emergency and was taken to a local hospital. Despite the life-saving efforts of his fellow firefighters, first responders and medical personnel, Bridges died at the hospital, the department said.
After completing the Gaston College Fire Academy in 2022, Bridges joined the Hickory Fire Department in June 2023 as a certified Level II Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, the department said.
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