Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Football Club restarts in memory of much-loved firefighter, Kurtis Robinson, who passed away aged just 32
Colleagues of a Belfast-based firefighter who died last last year have restarted the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Football Club in his memory.
Kurtis Robinson, a father-of-one and a firefighter based at Knock Fire Station in East Belfast suffered from an issue with his kidneys, which led to a heart attack in October 2023.
After going into heart failure, Kurtis was induced into a coma in January this year but sadly passed away in February.
Kurtis’ colleagues in the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service have been inspired by their friend, organising a number of fundraising initiatives in tribute to him. A Just Giving page was set up when Kurtis was in hospital which raised funds to support his wife Natalie and their one-year-old son Benny.
When Kurtis passed away, his colleagues wanted to do something to create a positive legacy for their friend. They restarted the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Football Club, which had disbanded in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Kurtis’ memory and decided to support Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) as their charity partner.
Teddy Cully, Kurtis’ friend and colleague said: “What happened to Kurtis was tragic, it was such a shock. Kurtis was a brilliant guy and so well thought of and liked by all his colleagues. We are very closely knit and losing Kurtis took its toll on everyone. But this has been something positive for us all to do and we are glad we are able to do something in Kurtis’ memory and something that will help others by raising money for Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke.”
The team are playing in the UK Fire Service Cup and had their first match in October.
Teddy added: “Kurtis’ son Benny was our mascot for the match which was so special. We beat Durham and Darlington’s team 7-2.
“Our next Cup game is against West Scotland on January 30. We are hoping to do Kurtis proud and secure another win. The 2019 team actually won the Cup that year and it would be amazing to do it again this year in tribute to Kurtis. We will also be playing a memorial match in Kurtis’ memory on Thursday, December 5 against the England Fire Service. We are hoping to play a memorial match every year in tribute to Kurtis.”
“We chose NICHS as our charity partner as we not only want to raise funds for them, but want to also help support them with their work of raising awareness of, and trying to prevent, chest, heart and stroke illnesses in Northern Ireland. Kurtis was a super fit guy, he trained every day, he was young. You would never have imagined something like this happening to him.”
Ali Rodgers, Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, said: "We are very thankful to Kurtis’ wonderful colleagues and friends at the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service for all their efforts in restarting the Service’s football team and choosing NICHS as their charity partner in Kurtis’ memory.”
Find out more about how you can fundraise in memory of loved one or colleague or at https://nichs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/donate-in-memory
If you would like to support the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Football Club’s fundraising efforts, you can do so here- www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/kurtis- robinson-memorial-cup