Lt. Nathan Flynn 'Lived And Died A Hero': Gov. Hogan

JOPPA, MD — Nathan Flynn, the firefighter and Harford County resident killed in a seven-alarm blaze this week, was remembered as a man who loved his family and serving others. He strove to be the best and was always training, according to the many who celebrated his life during a memorial service Saturday.

The Flynn family, Gov. Larry Hogan, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services Chief John S. Butler and hundreds of others, many in the fire service, attended the memorial.

"Nathan Flynn lived and died a hero," Hogan said at the memorial service. "When we hear that final alarm, may it remind all of us not how Nate died, but of how he lived. Nathan Flynn is a hero who was called home much too soon. But his selflessness and ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten."

The 34-year-old fireman leaves behind wife, Celeste, and five children, as well as many whose lives he touched as an instructor, colleague and friend.

Godspeed Lt. Flynn. May you Rest In Peace pic.twitter.com/guwy5uSjUL
— Howard Co Fire & EMS (@HCDFRS) July 28, 2018

Flynn was working on Monday, July 23, when he responded to a house fire before 2 a.m. in the 7000 block of Woodscape Road in Clarksville. Residents reported lightning had struck their home.

The fire intensified as firefighters went inside, and Flynn fell through the first floor to the basement.

Mayday was called at 2:20 a.m., and crews located Flynn and brought him outside at 2:42 a.m. He was taken to Howard County General Hospital, and his family was notified that he had died from his injuries at approximately 5:30 a.m.

_{Photos by Elizabeth Janney.}

Flynn was a 13-year veteran of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services. He was the first career firefighter to die in the line of duty in the history of the department.

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"While most of us would run from floods and burning buildings, these heroes run toward them, often into them. They spot danger and want to stop it. They hear pain and want to ease it. They hear a call for help and rush to answer it," Kittleman said. "He was committed to making himself and those around him better. He was an Eagle Scout and demonstrated his leadership and love for others every day."

Said Kittleman: "We will not forget that he paid the ultimate price to protect our community."

Getting worse and worse.... This fire is growing.... These firefighters working hard to combat the blaze. #GetUpDC @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/b4anBQJc8Z
— Evan Koslof (@ekoslof) July 23, 2018

Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services Chief John Butler said he knew Flynn, recalling "his contagious smile and his inquisitive mind" and said whenever he was approached by the firefighter, he knew that a question was sure to follow.

Flynn's wife, Celeste, was presented with the pins that he would have worn as lieutenant, a rank to which he was posthumously promoted.

"This is not an honorary promotion," Butler said. He explained that Flynn passed the test. "In person and in spirit, I without reservation would have promoted Nathan Flynn."

Celeste Flynn was also presented with the International Association of Fire Fighters Medal of Honor, and an expenses-paid trip to the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where her husband's name will be engraved in September 2019.

While she admitted that her inclination would be to grieve privately and sit with her children while others made remarks, she said that she knew that was not what her husband would have done or wanted.

"He tried to tell me that I knew this day could happen," Celeste Flynn said, but she told herself: "He's one of the good guys. This isn't supposed to happen to him."

Throughout their marriage, she said there were sacrifices, from bedtimes to meals that were missed so he could respond to calls for service from the fire department.

"I knew his passion for the job and his need to be the best," she said. "He's an all-in kind of guy. Work, home..." She said early in their marriage, she wanted to have chickens. She ended up with 40 chickens, a goat and a pig on a half-acre lot.

The couple lived with their five children in Havre de Grace, where he also volunteered with the Susquehanna Hose Company and Harford County Technical Rescue Team.

A friend and fellow firefighter from Harford County said that he wanted to deliver off-the-cuff remarks but knew that was something Flynn would not have done. Instead, he said his friend would have read manuals and watched YouTube videos about how to deliver such a speech. Flynn was always seeking to understand and master what he was doing.

"He wouldn't only look for the solutions, but he had to examine the problem and find out why ..." said Howard County Fire Lt. Brandon Thibeault. He described Flynn as a "father, friend, husband, fireman," roles that he carried out "to their highest potential."

Members of the hose company described him as someone who put others before himself and pushed those around him to be better, always training.

Chief Scott Hurst with @SusquehannaHose shared with us how Lt. Nathan Flynn made his department better - mentoring younger members, always training & trying to improve pic.twitter.com/wwjDKkNXeY
— Shelley Orman (@ShelleyOFox45) July 27, 2018

Lt. Nathan Flynn is survived by his wife and five children. There is a donation page set up for the family through GoFundMe.

_{Pictured, flowers at the Rivers Park fire station on Old Columbia Road, where Lt. Nathan Flynn worked, on July 28, 2018. Photos by Elizabeth Janney.}