A veteran fire captain with the Kinloch Fire Protection District is in grave condition after he collapsed at the fire station two weeks ago.
Capt. Richard Parks, 47, is on life support after suffering a medical emergency upon returning from a fire call on April 16, according to KSDK-TV.
"He's essentially the life of this firehouse," Capt. Mike Bowman told the news station. "Without him being here it's somber and dull. That's the best way to put it. It's not the same atmosphere.
"He's been a mentor to a lot of us. I've been here 11 years and since the day I started he's been a mentor to me. He's been like a father-figure in the firehouse to most of us."
Parks began his career with Kinloch in 1980 as a junior firefighter at the age of 16 and became a firefighter two years later.
Firehouse.com will provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
