Lt. Christopher M. Leach

Lt. Christopher M. Leach, age 41, of Wilmington, DE, died tragically on September 24, 2016. Chris was born on September 10, 1975, in Wilmington, DE. He was the son of Frances H. Leach. His father, Michael F. Leach, pre-deceased him in 2004. Chris was a fourteen-year veteran of the City of Wilmington Fire Department. He began his fire service career as a volunteer with the Talleyville Fire Company in 1993. In 1997, he was hired as a full-time employee at the Claymont Fire Company. In 2002, he was hired by the City of Wilmington Fire Department where he proudly served until his death in the line of duty. As a volunteer firefighter at Talleyville, Chris served in various line officer positions including Lieutenant, Captain, 2nd Assistant Chief, and 1st Assistant Chief. As a Career Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician at the Claymont Fire Company he was introduced to technical rescue and this became his area of expertise. On September 16, 2002, Chris was hired by the City of Wilmington Fire Department and successfully completed the Fire Academy as part of the 32nd Recruit Class. Following graduation, he was assigned to Engine 4B Platoon, where he soon became qualified to drive Engine 4 after a little over 6 months in the company. In 2005, Chris was transferred to the Special Operations Command on Engine 1B. He also served on the New Castle County Task Force 1, the local technical rescue team, where he held various positions of leadership. Throughout his career, Chris received numerous commendations and awards, including commendations for professional development, two unit citations for technical rescue, the Kiwanis Firefighter Award, the Life Saving Award from Claymont Fire Company, the Heroic Fireman of the Year from Claymont Fire Company, and the Heroic Fireman of the Year Award for New Castle County. Chris attended St. Edmond's Academy and graduated from Salesianum High School in 1994. In addition to his associate degree from Delaware Technical Community College in Fire Protection Engineering Technology, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Science Administration from Waldorf University in June 2015. He was pursuing a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Fire/Rescue Executive Leadership at the time of his death. In addition to his mother, he is survived by three children, Brendan, Abby, and Megan and their mother, Kelli Zullo; his sister, Kathryn, and her wife Carolee LeNoir; and his fiancée, Kate Maxwell and her two boys, Landon and Casey Fox. Visitation with family and friends will be held on Friday, September 30, from 10 a.m. until 12 noon immediately followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 809 South Broom St., Wilmington Delaware 19805. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the official fund established by the Wilmington Firemen's Local 1590, which is linked to http://www.wilmingtonfirefighters.org. Donations can also be made to the Firemen's Local 1590 through the Wilmington Police and Fire Federal Credit Union (WPFFCU), 1701 Shallcross Avenue, Suite B, Wilmington, DE 19806.