Firefighter Who 'Cared Deeply About His Community' Dies At Age 46

GRAYSLAKE, IL — Funeral services have been set for a longtime Grayslake firefighter who died last week at the age of 46.

A wake for Mike Higgins, who worked for the Grayslake Fire Protection District for 26 years, has been set for 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at Symonds Lakes Funeral Home, 1111 W. Belvidere Road in Grayslake. Higgins most recently served as the fire district's battalion chief.

His funeral has been set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Gilberts Church, 301 E. Belvidere Road in Grayslake. A procession and a private burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery.

Higgins, 46, of Libertyville, was first hired as a full-time employee in 2001, Dan Pierce, fire chief for the Grayslake Fire Protection District, said in a letter to fire protection district employees. He was the medical officer for several years and was passionate about improving the quality of emergency medical services and training as a way to improve Grayslake's emergency service.

"We are heartbroken by this terrible news that will take the organization a long time to heal (from)," Pierce said.

Over the years, Higgins served as a liaison to Advocate Condell Medical Hospital and worked with the Lake County Special Response Team and Lake County Dive Rescue Team. He served as the fire district's EMS Chief, incident safety officer and fire preventions officer. He also assisted with administering the COVID vaccines through the Lake County Health Department during the pandemic.

"Michael cared deeply about the community he served and had a passion for innovation and new technology to improve rescue outcomes," according to his obituary.

More via Higgins' obituary and the Grayslake Fire District Facebook page