Kevin O’Rourke, 44, grew up wanting to be a firefighter. In his long career, “the only times he got in trouble was for being so eager to save lives that he endangered his own. ‘His helmet shield would melt,’ his Captain remembered. ‘I’d say ‘Kevin, you were too close again,’ and he’d say ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I just wanted to get to that back bedroom, there coulda been somebody there.’”
All the neighborhood kids knew that if their bike was broken or their tire was flat that they could take it to the firehouse and FF O’Rourke would fix it. His fellow firefighters had installed a sign that read “Kevin’s Bike Shop.” While he was at it, he would also teach them fire safety, including practicing “Stop, Drop & Roll.”