Farewell, chief: Firefighter, father, friend remembered

To honor Penovich's death, firefighters came from all over the state, from Logan to Escalante, to participate in the services.

An honor guard saluted Penovich and his family as the casket was brought into the tabernacle. After the funeral, police escorts closed two blocks of American Fork's Main Street, while a procession of some 50 firetrucks followed engine No. 262 — Penovich's favorite — under a giant American flag dangling between two fire ladders.

During the graveside service, symbolic ceremonies brought tears to the eyes of almost everyone in attendance.

There were honor guards, a bagpiper who played "Going Home" as he separated himself from the crowd, and the four firefighters who created the wall of water — symbolic of the veil between life and death — for a fifth firefighter to pass through.

Three helicopters flew over the ceremony in the "missing man" formation, and finally, as the silence of the crowd was broken momentarily by muffled sobs, an eerily familiar fire alarm sounded across a walkie-talkie with the words, "this is the final call for Chief Mike Penovich."

"His last call was his last call," said Saratoga Springs Deputy Fire Chief Rick Scott. "It's time for him to rest."

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E-mail: achoate@desnews.com