Wake held for fallen FDNY firefighter William Moon
EAST ISLIP, N.Y. -- A wake was held Wednesday for William Moon, the firefighter who died during a training accident in Brooklyn on Dec. 12.
As CBS2's Hannah Kliger reports, the mood was mournful and melancholy. Firefighters were lined up outside to support the loved ones and friends attending the wake.
Moon, known as Billy, worked in Brooklyn but lived on Long Island, and people who knew him both professionally and personally are remembering his life of service.
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Firefighters came from far and wide to honor a hero who selflessly helped others, even after his death.
"He was so good at his job that it made my job much easier. I always knew that he was going to make his position, and I always knew that no matter what, he would give it his all to get anybody that was inside that building," Ladder Company 133 Captain Pat Connolly said.
Moon, who was critically injured during a drill in his Brooklyn firehouse, saved others by donating his organs, a decision made by his family in memory of the man he was.
His cousin, a retired fire chief on Long Island, says he came from a family of firefighters.
"We had a great time. We were very close. We spent a lot of time fighting fires. When I was chief, he would come to my fires," Jim Fetherston said.
The doleful day was marked with teary-eyed visitors who walked into the funeral home. Purple ribbon adorns the streets and poles, and a massive American flag proudly hangs from fire ladders along Montauk Highway.
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At 19 years old, Moon started as a volunteer firefighter on Long Island. He then joined Ladder Company 133 in Queens and was training at Rescue Company 2 in Brooklyn when he suffered a head injury.
"That's the most elite group in the fire service, and many will argue the most elite rescue company in the world," Connolly said.
Moon is a 21-year veteran of the FDNY and also volunteered at the department in his hometown.
Raymond Fifield, a former firefighter, emotionally remembered their friendship, which began in 1999.
"Phenomenal guy. He's a man's man, somebody that you want to hang out with 24/7, you know? Life of the party," he said. "Didn't believe it at first. First thing you think is, not Billy. Billy's, you know, he's careful. He loved the city fire department, loved out here in Islip. This is what he loved to do. This is what he was born to do, so when you heard the news, it was shocking."
The man who dedicated his life to saving others leaves behind a wife, two children and a whole community of people whose lives were touched by his bravery.
"It's gonna be hard, there's no doubt about that. That's, you know, for anybody who has a loss, but he was a special person," Fetherston said.
There will be another chance for loved ones to attend the wake starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
On Thursday, Moon's casket will be transported to St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore for the funeral, which will begin at 11 a.m. You can watch coverage of the funeral on CBS News New York.
