A firefighter who died battling a house fire has been remembered as a man with a “vibrant spirit” who made the ultimate professional sacrifice.
Michael Kidd, 51, died on December 12 after being struck by a falling wooden beam while fighting a fire that engulfed the house in Grose Vale, in Sydney's far northwest.
He was dragged from the house and colleagues tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Kidd was buried at St Monica's Catholic Church, Richmond, on Friday at a service attended by hundreds of mourners including NSW Premier Chris Minns and Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib.
His coffin, draped in the Australian flag, was brought to the church on the back of a vintage fire engine as part of a Fire and Rescue NSW motorcade, accompanied by the strains of the agency's marching band.
Firefighter Michael Kidd was buried (pictured) in Sydney's northwest on Friday after dying while battling a fire that engulfed a suburban home last week
NSW Premier Chris Minns (right) and Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib (left) also attended the funeral
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell paid tribute to the on-call firefighter from Richmond Station 82 as a man who loved his job.
“Michael loved being a firefighter, whether that was Fire and Rescue or the Rural Fire Service, and he was damn good at it,” he told mourners.
'He juggled family, work and other commitments, despite all this he was still one of the most regular visitors to the fire station.'
The deadly fire was one of thousands Kidd attended during his many years of service since he started as a rural firefighter in 1989, Fewtrell said.
“While firefighting can be a dangerous activity that does not make up for the loss of Michael, it is not something we simply accept,” he said.
“Michael made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It is a sacrifice made not only by Michael, but by his family, his fellow firefighters and his friends as we no longer have him.”
Mr. Kidd's younger sisters, Belinda and Elizabeth, remembered him for his “lively spirit” and love of family.
Speaking about the 51-year-old's children, Lachlan and Samantha, Belinda said that 'he supported their dreams and made sure he always had time for them'.
Hundreds of mourners, including family, friends and colleagues, gathered at the church to pay their respects
Mr Kidd (pictured), who started his career as a rural firefighter in 1989, fought thousands of fires and was remembered as someone who loved what he did
Elizabeth said the entire family loved and missed her brother, saying “every time we think of you we will smile.”
Mr Kidd's wife Rebecca, whose eulogy was delivered by Fire and Rescue NSW chaplain Lyndsay Smith, said her husband “made the world a better place”.
She remembered him as a man who could strike up a conversation with anyone, had a great passion for cars and who died doing what he loved.
“He will not be forgotten.”
Mr Kidd died after being struck by a falling wooden beam while fighting the fire