By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Hundreds of first responders and community members attended the funeral Monday for North Royalton, Ohio, Firefighter Ryan Milligan, 36, who died Nov. 2 while assisting at a house fire in Broadview Heights.
- A procession began at 9 a.m. at Busch Funeral Home in Parma, passed the North Royalton Fire Department and continued to a memorial service at Grace Church in Middleburg Heights.
- Milligan’s family was presented with the Martin E. Pierce Medal of Honor, described as the highest honor the International Association of Fire Fighters gives for service and sacrifice.
- He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery; officials have not released his cause of death.
- Fellow North Royalton firefighter Andrew Protsman, injured in the same fire, is expected to recover.
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio — Family, friends and first responders from across Northeast Ohio gathered Monday to honor North Royalton Firefighter Ryan Milligan, who died Nov. 2 while assisting Broadview Heights safety services at a house fire in the 2100 block of West Royalton Road, cleveland.com reported.
A funeral procession began at 9 a.m. at Busch Funeral Home in Parma, traveling along Ridge Road to Route 82 in North Royalton and past the North Royalton Fire Department before continuing to Grace Church for a memorial service. Officials have not released the cause of Milligan’s death. He was 36.
North Royalton Fire Chief Robert Chegan opened the service by remembering Milligan’s commitment to his fellow firefighters and the community. Milligan’s older brother, John Milligan, also spoke, recalling his brother as a boy who liked to tag along with him and his friends.
The family was presented with the Martin E. Pierce Medal of Honor. A second procession then traveled to Holy Cross Cemetery, where Milligan was laid to rest.
Firefighters and police officers from communities including Parma Heights, Willowick, Brunswick and Strongsville stood outside the church to pay their respects, along with residents who came to show support. Andrew Protsman, a North Royalton firefighter from Parma, was also hurt in the Broadview Heights fire and is expected to recover.
Milligan was the youngest of four children, according to his obituary. He attended Normandy High School and Tri-C’s Fire Training Academy and spent the last decade serving Northeast Ohio communities. He worked as a paramedic and firefighter with the Newburgh, Northfield, Seven Hills and North Royalton fire departments, and was a local lightweight Golden Gloves champion. He is survived by his wife, Laura, and their two young children, along with his parents and extended family.