Governor Gordon Orders Flags Be Flown Half-Staff to Honor Volunteer Firefighter Who Died Heroically

We like to talk about heroes. When we think of heroes, we think of men with capes or women with lassos. We think of comic books and blockbuster movies. But heroes, real heroes, wear neither cape nor cowl. They don't leap from tall buildings and they're not faster than a speeding bullet.

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Real heroes are just men and women who do the best they can with what they have. They do the right thing, even at personal expense.

That is what Bruce Lang and Tyeler Harris did. And they paid for it with their lives.

Lang was a volunteer firefighter who attempted a rescue on the icy waters of the Keyhole Reservoir. During that rescue, two men were saved. Two men were not. Lang was one of those men.

Just a week later, a 29-year-old EMT with the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County was killed while responding to a separate accident on I-80.

Both of these men died trying to serve, trying to save others. And now, Governor Gordon wants to honor them.

According to a press release from the Governor's Office, he has ordered both the U.S. and the State of Wyoming flags to be flown at half-staff statewide on Friday, December 23 to honor Lang.

"Lang died Thursday when the utility task vehicle he was riding on plunged into open water while he was attempting to assist another individual who had fallen through ice on Keyhole Reservoir," the release stated. "This week an Emergency Medical Technician from Carbon County was also killed while on duty. Governor Gordon will also order that flags be lowered in his honor at a later date."

Various first responders have sent their condolences to the friends, families, and colleagues of both men as well.

“Jennie and I send our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Lang,” Governor Gordon said. “We recognize that this loss impacts the entire community of Pine Haven. These tragedies are a reminder of the risks that accompany the selfless commitment of first responders in our state, who are all deeply committed to serving their fellow citizens."

Indeed they are,