A throng of mourners silently filed out of Mountain Christian Church in Joppatowne on Saturday following the funeral of Baltimore City firefighter Lt. Mark Dranbauer Jr.
In the parking lot, first responders clad in uniform greeted one another quietly. Near the church entrance, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott stood alongside Fire Chief James Wallace and Police Commissioner Richard Worley, speaking with fellow officials as the crowd dispersed.
Scott praised the department and called Dranbauer, who was critically injured May 12 while fighting a downtown fire, one of Baltimore’s “true heroes.”
“Mark died protecting the city where he was born,” Scott said. “He came from a firefighting family — folks who have dedicated their lives to service.”
Born and raised in Northeast Baltimore, Dranbauer served the same community where he grew up.
“He rose through the ranks and ultimately gave his life for this city,” Scott added. “That’s what this city is all about. We have to honor people like him — people who love their community so much, they would literally give their life for it.”
Dranbauer, 44, “suffered a medical emergency” from atop a ladder — about 40 to 50 feet off the ground — while responding to a fire in the 200 block of West Saratoga Street on May 12. Dranbauer fell backward on the ladder and was later taken to Shock Trauma, where he was initially listed in critical condition. Officials have not confirmed what the medical emergency was.
Dranbauer, a 23-year veteran of the department, was later put on life support. After donating his organs, he was removed from life support on May 18 and then was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to the Baltimore Fire Officers IAFF Local 964. A lineup for honors was held on Poppleton Avenue near Shock Trauma.
Those who served alongside Dranbauer remembered him as both kind and dependable.
“He was funny, but in a dry way,” said Bernice Franchetti, a former partner on a medic unit more than a decade ago. “He was a wonderful person.”
Dranbauer’s family did not speak publicly, and Wallace was not made available to comment. “Several hundred” firefighters attended the funeral, according to BCFD spokesperson.
He was the second Baltimore City firefighter to die on duty this month.
On May 16, Charles Mudra, a 17-year department veteran, died after he “suffered a catastrophic medical emergency” during a skills assessment at the BCFD’s training academy, the department said in a statement. He was immediately given life support measures on-scene before being transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a, according to the department.
“Reflecting on both losses,” Scott said, “It’s tough when you think about all the members we’ve lost just in my time in office. It really shows how much appreciation we must have for those folks. Sometimes people forget the sacrifices they make every day — until tragedy brings it back into focus.
“It’s been a hard week for a department that’s already endured so much. We need to stand with them.”
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