Rev. Douglas Brown has a message for neighbors mourning North Royalton firefighter Ryan Milligan: don't stop showing up.
Brown, pastor of Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood, spent Monday, Nov. 2, at the hospital after Milligan died battling a house fire in Broadview Heights. He prayed with firefighters and comforted the grieving family, WKYC reported.
As reported Nov. 3, Milligan, 36, was one of two North Royalton firefighters hospitalized after the blaze. A second firefighter, 38-year-old Andrew Protsman of Parma, suffered serious injuries but is in stable condition and expected to recover, according to Fox 8.
Brown serves as chaplain for the Cleveland Division of Fire and the Cleveland Division of Police. He also ministers to the Cleveland Metroparks Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He knows this kind of loss. He is the great-grandson of fallen Cleveland Police Officer William Brown.
"It makes you feel numb," Brown told WKYC. "There's no other word that can describe the numbness and the sadness and the senseless nature of all of it."
Brown warned that grieving families are often showered with support right away, then everyone disappears. He urged the community to give the Milligan family room to process their grief while staying present for the long term.
"So don't disappear on them," he said. "Keep reaching out to them."
The Milligan family will decide what kind of service to hold, Brown said. It could be a religious ceremony or a celebration of life. Firefighters from across the area and beyond will do their best to attend.
Brown said services may include the "last alarm," a ringing of the bell that signifies the firefighter has answered a final call. Firefighters wear mourning bands across their badges. North Royalton has already lowered flags to half-staff. Milligan's name will eventually be inscribed on national firefighter memorials and on Cleveland's own Firefighters Memorial downtown, according to WKYC.
Milligan had served with the North Royalton Fire Department since August 2016 as a firefighter and paramedic. He had signed up for a future fire lieutenant promotional exam, according to a city statement reported by Fox 8. He married his wife, Laura, in September 2022. They have a young toddler and an infant.
North Royalton Mayor Paul Marnecheck asked the community to keep the firefighters and their families in their thoughts while respecting their privacy, according to a statement. The North Royalton Fire Department has started a GoFundMe page for the Milligan family.
