Playground Honors Man Who 'Loved Being a Kid'

School Commemorates Firefighter Killed in Blaze

Woodbridge resident Sue Wilson was not going to just watch as dozens of Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary School children bolted for their new outdoor jungle gym.

She was going to join in the fun.

Wilson slid down the slide at the school's playground, which, just moments earlier, was dedicated to her son Kyle R. Wilson -- a 24-year-old Prince William County firefighter who died in the line of duty last year.

"I did this for him," Wilson said about going down the slide. "He loved being a kid and would have been the first one down the slide. This is all very fitting for him."

On Thursday, the Wilson family joined dozens of students, firefighters and Prince William officials for a dedication ceremony that honored their son, who died April 16, 2007, while battling a Woodbridge house fire. He was the first to die in the line of duty in the department's 42-year history.

"Kyle Wilson made the ultimate sacrifice to save others, and those of us in the department think of him every single day," Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin McGee told the gathering of about 150 people. "To have a playground dedicated to Kyle will remind children and parents of a true hero for decades to come."

School Board officials and a naming committee had considered Wilson when selecting the name of the new elementary school. But when they decided to name it after a former teacher who helped racially integrate the schools, Fitzgerald Principal Deraine F. Simpson said she wanted to make sure Wilson had a place on the school property as well.

Simpson said students will gather at the playground on Wilson's birthday, May 25, each year to honor him.

"He was one of my best friends, and it hurts to sit through the ceremony," Chris Wilson, Kyle's older brother, said after the dedication. "But in a few weeks when I come back by myself, it will be pretty cool. He's going to live on forever."

Kyle Wilson, a 2000 graduate of C.D. Hylton Senior High School, received a degree in athletic training from George Mason University. Family and friends said he was a kid at heart and an enthusiastic baseball player who loved to tell jokes.

"It's kind of fitting a playground is named after Kyle because when our kids were young, we didn't do a lot of fancy things," said Bob Wilson, Kyle's father. "We took drives out to the country, and we'd always stop at playgrounds along the way. He'd love to play Frisbee and toss the football, but baseball was his true passion."

After the ceremony, Sue Wilson solemnly walked up to the yellow firetruck parked next to the playground. The truck, from Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Station 12, is the one Wilson rode in the night he died.

After opening the door of the truck and glancing at her son's seat, Wilson recalled the day her son announced that he was joining the fire and rescue squad. Like any mother, she told him that she was worried and that there was a chance he would die. Wilson said he acknowledged that fact but was going to do it anyway if it meant helping the community.

"I know how much he loved this job," she said. "I think if we hadn't had a conversation about it before he joined, this would be a lot harder for me. But I know he died doing what he loved to do."