Copperas Cove honors retired deputy fire chief with funeral procession

A police escort led a funeral procession for retired Deputy Fire Chief Michael Fleming through Copperas Cove on June 26, carrying the line of vehicles from FM-2657 to U.S. Business 190 and down Main Street before it ended at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home. The tribute brought temporary traffic delays along the route as residents gathered safely at the roadside to pay their respects.

The Copperas Cove Fire Department displayed the American flag from Ladder Truck by Fire Station No. 1, turning the procession into a public farewell for a man whose career stretched across nearly every layer of the department. Fleming served the city for 34 years, beginning in 1985 as a dispatcher before rising through the ranks to deputy fire chief and fire marshal.

His career earned recognitions that reflected more than one specialty. Fleming was named Firefighter of the Year and Paramedic of the Year, awards that point to a public-service record built not just on command experience but on day-to-day emergency response and patient care. That range made him part of the department’s operational backbone, from answering calls to shaping how fire and rescue work were carried out in Copperas Cove.

The procession was a visible reminder of how closely the city’s public safety institutions and residents are connected. For families inside the fire service, for dispatchers who answer calls, and for paramedics who work the scene, Fleming’s career stood for the long continuity of service that often goes unnoticed until a farewell like this one brings it into the open.