Surrey firefighters are laying one of their own to rest this month after his line of duty death.
Surrey Fire Capt. Randy Piticco died on Dec. 22 after a battle with presumptive lung cancer. Piticco had worked for the Surrey Fire Service for 32 years and retired in 2009.
His passing is deemed a line of duty death, as it has been determined by WorkSafeBC to have been attributed to carcinogens he was exposed to during his years in the fire service.
Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis described Piticco as a crucial part of the Surrey Fire Service.
"He was one of those backbone guys of the department," Garis said. "He was involved in pre-fire planning. He wasn't that conspicuous other than the work that he did and the dedication he gave to the department."
A funeral service will be held Sunday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. at the Bell Performing Arts Centre.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made “in memory of Randy Piticco” to the Langley Community Support Groups Society –Hope After Stroke.
For online donations, the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society will accept donations and redirect them to Hope After Stroke: www.surreyfirefighters.com/donate/