Billy Birmingham, EMT who died from COVID-19, laid to rest Wednesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An emergency medical technician who died after contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty was laid to rest Wednesday at a graveside service with his family in attendance.

Before the service, the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department led a procession from the funeral home to the cemetery. Paramedics, EMTs, firefighters and members of the public lined the streets — all standing apart — to pay tribute to Billy Birmingham, who died on April 13.

Birmingham's oldest daughter, Octavia Standley, called her father a "superhero." A former EMT herself, Standley said her 69-year-old father continued working because he cared about helping people.

“He did it because he loved it,” Standley said after the service. “And when you love something, you don’t stop. It’s just who you are. ”

Birmingham’s widow, Tandra Birmingham, said her husband was “one-of-a-kind.”

“He truly loved everybody … He didn’t just talk it, he lived it,” Tandra Birmingham said. “My husband truly lived it. I’m grateful to be the wife of Dr. Billy Birmingham.”

Birmingham’s former partner drove his casket in an ambulance along the procession route.

KCFD Chief Donna Maize said on Twitter that her prayers were with Birmingham, his wife and children, and other family members.

“We, the members of KCFD, honor him with our continued service and commitment to Kansas City,” Maize said in the tweet.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson ordered flags at fire stations across the state to fly at half-staff on Wednesday in honor of Birmingham.

Parson said Birmingham’s death was the first line-of-duty death among first responders in the state.

Birmingham also was the first KCMO employee to die from COVID-19. He had worked for Mast Ambulance Services since 1998 and became part of the fire department when it took over the ambulance service in 2010.