Fire/Rescue News - Nine-Year-Old gets Burial fit for a Firefighter
Jacob will be buried in his Class B uniform, wearing his recently acquired badge, his name stitched on his shirt. Bagpipes will play and the Camden Police Department Honor Guard will present his family with a flag.....Continue Reading
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The 9-year-old, who lost a three-year battle with cancer Tuesday, never got the chance to grow up and realize his dream of becoming a firefighter.
But the Camden Fire Department, to make note of his dream, swore him in as an honorary firefighter on July 1. And to help his family, in which there have been two other deaths this year, Engine Company 6 will pay for the child's funeral.
"He now is considered one of our brothers," said firefighter Pete Perez. "When one of our brothers passes, this is what we do. We unite and we support the family."
Perez visited Jacob yesterday morning at the funeral home and shined his shoes, a firefighter tradition.
"Jacob's looking very much like a firefighter now," he said.
Jacob's mother, Myrna Rubert, said her son would be ecstatic.
"That was his dream, to become a firefighter," she said. "All the support I'm getting from them means a whole lot to me."
While recalling when Jacob was sworn in as a firefighter - complete with a badge, hat, and celebratory cake - Rubert was rendered speechless.
"Seeing him smile is - words can't even explain what I felt for him," she said.
The funeral will be this morning at 10 at Holy Name Church in Camden and will be followed by a procession to Arlington Cemetery in Pennsauken.
"He dreamed about being a firefighter," Perez said. "We just wanted to do something special for him and try to make his dream come true while he was still here with us."
