A procession accompanying fallen Montgomery County Master Firefighter Christopher Higgins began its journey from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner office in Baltimore to McCully Funeral Home in Pasadena, Maryland, Tuesday morning, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) spokesperson Pete Piringer.
Firefighters and vehicles representing several fire departments across the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas are expected to pay respects along the procession route, according to Piringer. The procession started at 10 a.m. and is expected to take two hours.
Higgins died Saturday evening after suffering a medical emergency while fighting a blaze at a house in Laurel, MCFRS Fire Chief Corey Smedley said Saturday night in a press briefing.
No funeral arrangements have been announced to the public.
The body of the firefighter, who was a 23-year veteran of the department, was transported during a processional Saturday night to the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death, Smedley said. The cause of Higgins’ death has not been announced to the public.
MCFRS crews responded shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday to a call for mutual aid assistance by Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department to handle a house fire in the 15000 block of Bradford Drive in Laurel, according to Smedley and radio transmissions.
Smedley said an “emergency happened” and crews had to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts to Higgins, 46, who was assigned to the department’s Burtonsville station. He was transported to Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring where he succumbed to his medical condition, Smedley said during the briefing at the hospital.
According to a statement from Smedley on Sunday, Higgins was performing his duties as a driver of a firetruck responding to the house fire. Although an investigation is ongoing, the statement said, an event occurred while Higgins was “throwing ladders to the house on Bradford Drive.”
During a press briefing at 3 p.m. Sunday, Smedley said there was a medical emergency “during emergency operations on the exterior of the structure.”
Crews immediately came to the firefighter’s aid, according to the statement, before he was transferred to the White Oak Medical Center.
“We’ll be trying to heal. We’ll be wrapping ourselves around the family members,” Smedley said Saturday night. “To our Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service Department, we’re here for you. We will help you through this. We’re all in this together.”
County Executive Marc Elrich (D) released a statement about Higgins’ death Monday. Elrich also spoke at the Saturday night press conference.
“[Higgins] was a dedicated firefighter, a loving husband and father, and a mentor to many in our fire service community,” Elrich wrote in his statement. “On Saturday, he made the ultimate sacrifice while working to protect others, a reflection of his courage and selflessness.”
Gov. Wes Moore (D) expressed sympathies Monday to Higgins’ family in a social media post.
“Our hearts are heavy at the loss of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Master Firefighter Christopher Higgins, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his community,” Moore wrote. “The First Lady and I extend our prayers to his family, colleagues, and all who loved him.”
U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Dist. 6) of Potomac, who represents portions of Montgomery County, expressed her condolences Monday in a social media statement.
“[Higgins’] colleagues admired his commitment and kindness, and his loss is felt deeply by all who knew him,” she wrote.
Bethesda Today reporter Ashlyn Campbell contributed to this story.