Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Bryant Gladney responded to a crash early in the morning on Dec. 22. It ended up being a call he wouldn’t come home from.
The 25-year veteran with the department died from injuries he sustained when a tractor-trailer struck his vehicle while he was on scene for another crash.
Boone County Fire Chief Scott Olsen described Gladney as “somewhat a practical joker kind of person” who touched a lot of lives during his time with the department.
“He’s touched a lot of people not only in our department, but in many other departments,” he said. “He was very active as the coordinator and manager of our paramedic program, so people from all over the state came to our program and interacted with him on a daily basis, so he touched lives not only here, regionally, but also throughout the state.”
On Sunday morning, Gladney was recognized as one of eight Missouri firefighters who died in the line of duty during a memorial service at the Missouri Fire Fighters Memorial in Kingdom City.
During the ceremony, officials recognized the family members of the fallen firefighters.
“Families are interwoven into how fire services exist,” Olsen said. “It’s very important for families to be recognized for what they provide to the citizens that we serve, supporting their loved ones providing service on a day-to-day basis.”
Officials also recognized:
• Foreman Cornelius C. Crowley, from the St. Joseph Fire Department, who died Jan. 8, 1908.
• George W. Shoemaker, from the Brookfield Fire Department, who died Jan. 10, 1942.
• Rescue Specialist Ralph Goddard, from the Springfield Fire Department, who died June 21, 2015.
• Ronald W. Wehlage Jr., from the Desoto Rural Fire Protection District, who died June 30, 2020.
• Rodney Heard, from the St. Louis Fire Department, who died June 15, 2021.
• Battalion Chief Marvin Shaffrey, from the Cedar Hill Fire Department, who died Nov. 2, 2021.
• Captain Ivan LaGrand, from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, who died Dec. 1, 2021.
Officials also read the names and recognized 61 firefighters who died in recent years outside of the line of duty.
The uniform for Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Bryant Gladney, who was killed while responding to the scene of an accident in December 2021, sits underneath his wreath at the Fire Fighters Memorial service in Kingdom City on Sunday morning. (Michael Shine/FULTON SUN)
The band plays during a memorial for fallen firefighters on Sunday, held at the Fire Fighters Memorial in Kingdom City. (Michael Shine/FULTON SUN)