Funeral held for fallen KCFD firefighter Kyle Brinker

LIBERTY, Mo. — The Kansas City Fire Department said goodbye to firefighter-paramedic Kyle Brinker on Wednesday.

Brinker served for 11 years, mostly stationed at Station 35 , one of Kansas City’s busiest fire stations.

He was 33 when he died during a training exercise last week .

“We estimate he probably ran 20,0000 calls in his 11 years. During that time, a lot as a paramedic. There are a lot people in the City of Kansas City that are here because of the work that he has done. This is not only a loss for our department, but our entire community,” Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins with KCFD said Wednesday.

Support came from near and far Wednesday.

“For all of the fallen, we always try to show support,” Anthony Martinez, a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department shared with FOX4. “We came to show our condolences from the City of New York.”

“We have over 4,000 fallen firemen on our truck, and we attend every funeral we can possibly get to,” Clinton Rhodes, the president of the nonprofit “Gone But Never Forgotten” said. “Every one of these (pointing back at the firefighters), I’d do anything for. Just call and I’ll be there.”

Rhodes’ firetruck is one that Kyle Brinker’s name will sadly soon be on. Rhodes says his truck honors firefighters who have died in the line of duty within the United States.

“I’m the only one in the United States who has this truck,” he said.

It’s his truck’s fourth service this year it has attended.

“We went to two in St. Louis and one in Wichita.”

Rhodes says he knows what it’s like to suit up and protect.

“I was at Ground Zero. I’m dying from it.”

Rhodes is referring to lung disease. He says he was on the first plane out of Kansas City to respond to the 9/11 terror attacks. He’s now a retired fireman.

Brinker’s celebration of life service was open to the public but closed to media cameras.

There were about 500 visitors who attended services for Kyle.

During the last few minutes of his service, uniformed personnel were asked to stand, and it was during that moment when Kyle Brinker’s last alarm call was heard, followed by “firefighter-paramedic Kyle Brinker has gone home.”

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