Doña Ana County and firefighters from across the Borderland gathered on Wednesday, April 1, to say goodbye to Doña Ana Fire Rescue firefighter Rafael Herrera III. Herrera died on March 12 while awaiting a heart transplant, and county officials have classified his passing as a line-of-duty death. Colleagues and local agencies later escorted him in a formal procession to his final resting place in Sunland Park, with county leaders asking the public to give the family space and privacy throughout the day.
Funeral Service And Media Ground Rules
The county said in a Facebook post that the funeral began at 10 a.m. at Funeraria Del Angel Hillcrest in El Paso and that seating inside the chapel would be reserved for Herrera’s family, fire rescue personnel, and dignitaries, according to the Doña Ana County Government Center. The county also made it clear that no media, video recording, or livestreaming would be allowed inside the funeral home and that a designated staging area for reporters would be set up outside. Local reporting noted that the county again stressed its request that mourners and media show respect for the family’s wishes.
Procession, Burial And Planned Livestream
After the service, units from Doña Ana Fire Rescue and other law enforcement agencies escorted Herrera to Memorial Pines Cemetery in Sunland Park for burial. A livestream of the graveside service was expected to be available on the county’s YouTube channel, weather permitting. The county has formally treated Herrera’s passing as a line-of-duty death, according to reporting by KTSM via Yahoo.
Herrera’s Service And Community Support
Herrera graduated from the department academy and joined Doña Ana Fire Rescue in October 2023 after training at Doña Ana Community College, according to reporting. He had been hospitalized at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio and died while awaiting a heart transplant, per KRQE via Yahoo. During his illness, IAFF Local 5037 and local community groups organized fundraisers to help support his family, according to the Las Cruces Bulletin.
Privacy Requests From County Officials
County officials said Herrera’s family and Doña Ana Fire Rescue personnel would not be available for interviews and repeated their call for both the public and the media to respect the family’s privacy during the funeral, procession, and burial. For those unable to be there in person, officials pointed to the planned YouTube livestream of the graveside service, again noting that it would depend on the weather, according to the Doña Ana County Government Center.
