A colourful, yet poignant procession of firefighters and fellow first responders paraded through the streets of Richmond Monday morning to honour Capt. Donald “Bryan” Kongus.
Led by a firefighting pipe band, the full-honours parade for the longtime Richmond firefighter marched to the skirl of “Scotland The Brave” the short distance from Shellbridge Way in east Cambie to the Fraserview Mennonite Church on Mellis Drive.
On arrival at the church, the procession flowed under the arch of two fire department ladders linked together by the Maple Leaf.
Emotional family members of Capt. Kongus wiped away tears as they watched the parade enter the church grounds, alongside members of the public, who had turned out to pay their respects to the fallen firefighter.
“I’m here to show support for the firefighters and first responders,” said one woman, who asked not to be named, while choking up.
“They go through a lot. My son is a Richmond firefighter and I have two cousins in Delta that are also firefighters.”
Another longtime Richmond resident said he felt it was his duty to make an appearance for the parade.
“I know some of the firemen, so I’m just paying my respects,” said the man.
“I read about (Kongus) in the Richmond News, so I thought I should come out. I’ve been a Richmond resident since 1969, so I appreciate what these guys do for us.”
After the procession, a private service was held inside the church for family members and emergency personnel.
The Richmond News reported last week how Kongus was being recognised with a full-honours procession and funeral after being the first firefighter on record in Richmond to have died of work-related PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Kongus, a 44-year-old husband and father-of-four, died in August, after being off work for more than a year.
The IAFF Local 1286 — the Richmond firefighters’ union — the Richmond fire department and Kongus’ family wanted to delay any memorial until WorkSafeBC had given its final assessment on the cause of his death.
And, recently, after Kongus’ passing was eventually determined to have been caused by PTSD as a result of his work as a firefighter, he was given the reverence of the full-honours service.
After joining the Richmond fire department in 1994, Kongus worked in several local firehalls and was considered a valuable member of Richmond Fire-Rescue operation.
“He was fun, enthusiastic and outgoing. He loved life and was very fit,” IAFF 1286 president Cory Parker recalled of Kongus, who was cremated soon after his death in August.
“He loved horses and had a horse of his own and he loved riding his Harley Davidson.”
While Tim Wilkinson, Richmond Fire-Rescue’s deputy chief of operations, when asked about the WorkSafeBC determination, said he was “happy that Bryan’s family will now have the benefit of this designation and they will now be taken care of properly.”
Wilkinson added that Kongus was “very talented” and “brought lots of energy to the job and was always in the middle of things.
“He did his job very well and was excellent at his trade. But he was a loving father and his family were very special in his life.”
