Mutual Aid Helps Dallas Firefighters Attend Comrade's Funeral
DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - The firefighting community is a tight- knit one.
You could tell by the attendance at Lt. Todd Krodle's funeral today.
Krodle is the Dallas firefighter killed last weekend when he fell through the roof of a burning apartment building.
Most of the Dallas Fire-Rescue department attended his funeral today. And they were able to do so because of their extended "family." The department has mutual aid agreements with 30 other fire departments in the area.
"It's part of a brotherhood," said firefighter Micahel Tartaro.
105 firefighters from all over North Texas offered to "fill in" for Dallas so their brethren could attend the funeral.
While some were officially "on the clock," others, like Plano's Tartaro and Captain Toby Peacock volunteered for no pay.
"If it were my friend," Tartaro said, "I'd want to go. Support the family. Ease the pain."
Tartaro and Peacock spent the day at Dallas Fire Station 14.
"If it were our guys," Peacock said, "we'd like to be there at our funeral."
Peacock's father was a Dallas firefighter himself.
He and Tartaro know the dangers they all face every day.
"No guarantee it's gonna work out the way it should," Tartaro said.
Both say they're grateful to honor their fallen brother's life in their own way.
"I think I probably got an easier deal filling in than being there," Peacock said.
