Hours after Firefighter Nathan Flynn's passing, black bunting was placed on fire houses, flags around the state were lowered to half-staff, fire trucks lined I-95 overpasses, and people waved flags as the funeral procession brought Flynn back home to Havre de Grace.
Near the end of the procession, members of the Susquehanna Hose Company saluted as their brother went by.
"Give him a send-off like firefighters do. It’s a brotherhood, Howard County, Havre de Grace, a brother is a brother, all the guys down there and he’s a brother to everybody here with the Susquehanna Hose Company," said Chief Scott Hurst with the Susquehanna Hose Company.
Nathan Flynn spent 13 years with the Howard County Fire Department, was a member of the Harford County Technical Rescue Team, and volunteered with the Susquehanna Hose Company 5 for just over a year and a half.
Flynn died Monday morning after being injured while on the scene of a seven-alarm fire in Clarksville.
"We lost a part of our family today and I just ask people to keep the Flynn family in your thoughts and prayers and keep the rest of the department in your thoughts and prayers as we try to work through this, this is unbelievable," said Howard County Deputy Fire Chief William Anusezewski.
Flynn was a husband and father to five. Hurst immediately thought of his younger children after he heard of Flynn's passing.
"Hopefully between the Susquehanna Hose Company and Howard County, we can’t take the pain a way, but make it easier for his wife and kids to get through this horrible time," Hurst said.
Pictures of Nathan Flynn in the field. I’m told he was a highly skilled firefighter and traveled the country as an instructor. He was also well-respected. The Susquehanna Hose Company created a memorial where he hung his gear. @WMAR2News pic.twitter.com/YygznTq8Hr
— Mallory Sofastaii WMAR (@mal_sofastaii) July 23, 2018
Flynn is the first career firefighter with the Howard County Fire Department to have died in the line of duty.
Havre de Grace Mayor Bill Martin ordered the City's lights to illuminate red for the week in honor of Flynn's sacrifice.
"In Havre de Grace, we believe in solidarity especially with how we respect our first responders and our citizens, especially our volunteers, " said Mayor Martin. "Susquehanna Hose Company is a revered tradition in our city and this one’s going to be felt pretty hard for a long time, really is."
A GoFundMe page has been set-up to collect donations for his family.
