Sacramento-area ceremony honors pair of firefighters who paid the ultimate sacrifice
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District recognized those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with a station dedication ceremony held Thursday morning in North Highlands.
A plaque honors two men who served at Station 42 decades apart.
"He loved being a firefighter, and he loved every single one of you," Shirley Guzman said of her husband, Captain Michael Guzman, at the ceremony.
Capt. Guzman's wife was overcome with emotion remembering the man affectionately known as "Guz."
Dozens of firefighting personnel past and present came to honor the two men who served decades apart.
"He was a good team member, good firefighter and fun to work with," Jay Darnelle said. "He always had a smile on his face, a jokester."
"It was rough when we lost Mike back in the 90s and it was a shock," Bill Sponable said. "He was only 42 years old. It hurt us all."
Engineer Kyle Rutherford died in 2021. Rutherford's wife said his dedication and long hours at work meant she would bring their three children in for station tours.
"The smile Kyle got when we showed up to the station will be something I hold near and dear to my heart forever, and so will his children," Sheena Rutherford said.
Two of their three children were on hand to hear what a hero their father was and find comfort in the support.
Metro Fire's board promises that one station will be dedicated to every firefighter who dies in the line of duty.