Kevin Prior, 28, of Bellmore was one of six New York City firefighters from Squad Company 252 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, lost on Sept. 11. He was in the north tower on the way up to assist other firefighters in trouble.
His mother, Marian, said he perished doing what he had loved all his life. “He was absolutely born with the heart and soul of a firefighter,” she said. “It wasn’t like it’s in the family or he grew up with it. It was something he was drawn to since he was a child.”
When he was 14, he joined the junior unit at the Bellmore Fire Department. “He would mop the floor and anything else they asked him so he could spend time there,” she said. “When he became 18 years old and became a full-fledged member, he took great delight in helping the younger kids. He couldn’t wait until he could take the test for the city .”
When Prior joined Squad 252 as a charter member in 1998, he told his mother it was the happiest day of his life. “He said, ‘If I die tomorrow, I would be a happy man,'” she said. Prior’s loss is still acutely felt. “It’s going on 10 years and he’s still missed at the table whenever there’s a family gathering. We have had births, we have had deaths, we have had weddings and there’s always the thought that he should be here – but he isn’t,” she said. “You learn to live with it.”
Shared from WODwell.com