Bel Air VFC Aids Baltimore As City Mourns 3 Firefighters

BEL AIR, MD — The Baltimore City Fire Department was out of service Wednesday morning so its members could attend the funeral service for three fallen firefighters.

Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler, and Firefighter/Paramedic Kenneth Lacayo died in the line of duty on Jan. 24 battling a rowhouse fire in southwest Baltimore. They were memorialized during a joint ceremony at the Baltimore Convention Center, attended by thousands.

Firefighters from around the region pitched in to cover the fire stations for city personnel.

It marked the first time in its 225-year history that the Baltimore City Fire Department was out of service, according to the Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734.

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency coordinated first responders from "all corners of Maryland & DC" so that every firefighter in Baltimore City would attend the memorial.

Among those who came to their aid was the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.

It transferred its ladder truck and a medic unit to Baltimore during the day so that city personnel could attend the joint line-of-duty-death memorial service, according to Rich Gardiner of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company (BAVFC).

See Related:

• Baltimore Firefighters' Funeral Service: Watch The Livestream
• Lt. Paul Butrim Viewing Information In Bel Air

Below are some pictures the BAVFC shared from the day, showing its personnel alongside crews from Anne Arundel County and New Market.

Photos are courtesy of Ricky Davis, Todd McKinney/BAVFC.