Waiting at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church were hundreds of firefighters -- 600 from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue alone -- in dress uniform, their badges shrouded with black bands, a symbol that a comrade has fallen.
Mitchell, 37, a recruit with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, died Friday in a training accident at Port Everglades when he collapsed inside the Gray Manatee, a building meant to simulate a burning ship at the Resolve Fire and Hazard Response Center. The facility was rented to Miami-Dade Community College for firefighter training.
Three days later, with two fire trucks parked outside the church with ladders stretched -- one of several traditions observed during the ceremony -- Father Daniel Kubala addressed a standing room-only parish where crowds spilled into the street.
"We have a new saint in heaven because truly he gave his life," Kubala said. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Kubala then turned to Mitchell's widow, Nancy.
"Nancy, love is stronger than death," he said. "Your love for him extends beyond this world and there's a part of you in heaven with him."
After the one-hour Mass, a tribute to the recruit was held outside the church, where a bugler played taps and a dispatcher read "the last alarm" over all Miami-Dade fire frequencies.
"When the fire was out, and the alarm had come to an end, the bell rang three times," the dispatcher said. "And now our brother Wayne Mitchell has completed his task, his duties well done. The bell now rings three times in memory of his life and service as he is laid to rest, this August 11, 2003. May he rest in peace."
Investigators have said several factors could have contributed to Mitchell's death, among them heatstroke, which can cause the systems of the body to shut down and lead to cardiac arrest. But they say it could be a while before the Broward Medical Examiner's Office determines the cause of death.
"There are several agencies involved and it's complicated," said Jim Leljedal, a spokesman for the Broward Sheriff's Office, which is leading the investigation.
While most firefighters who attended the funeral had never met Mitchell, who was in his seventh week of training, most felt connected to him.
"I never knew Wayne, but I understand his calling. It's the same calling I have," said Chief Louie Fernandez, a spokesman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. "It's to put your life at risk every day of the year, to put your life at risk for those you don't know."
Saving lives was nothing new for Mitchell. Before being accepted into Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, he had been a lifeguard for 11 years. When Mitchell became a recruit, firefighters say, he entered into a family that will always take care of its own.
"There's no words that can express what you get when everybody comes together," said Celesse Chartier, a firefighter whose father, Lt. Dewey Henry, died in 1994, the last person to die in the line of duty in Miami-Dade County before Mitchell. "[Firefighters] always make you feel something special. It doesn't matter how long you've been here."
Fernandez said a family liaison was assigned to the Mitchell family Friday to help them.
"Whatever they need," he said, "for as long as they need it."
Staff Writer Christiana Sciaudone contributed to this report.
