DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. — The fight has just begun for a local 6-year-old boy who is battling a brain tumor.
Riley Ruppert-Richendollar had a biopsy done Wednesday at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. It may seem like a solemn day, but if you ask the little boy it’s anything but.
Firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department are used to responding to a variety of situations, but Wednesday they answered the call in a much different way.
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You would expect the crew with JFRD to know just about everything there is to know about fighting fires. But, if you put this young man’s knowledge to the test, you’d probably be pleasantly surprised.
"If he were a rookie, I'd be glad to have him on my truck," said JFRD Lt. Michael "Chip" George.
Since learning how to walk and talk, Ruppert-Richendollar has been studying fire engines and learning about ladder trucks.
"They have roof ladders and extension ladders," Ruppert-Richendollar said.
Ruppert-Richendollar went compartment-by-compartment giving Action News Russell Colburn quite the education.
Aside from his dads, he spends most of his time with the firefighters. So it’s fitting they’d be there for his toughest test yet.
"It wasn't a matter of could we, but what time do you needs us there?" said George.
His reason for wanting to fight fires one day is simple. "I like to help people a lot."
"He's got a fight ahead of him and if we can help out anyway at all we're going to be here for him," George said.
The boy's family expects to know just what they're dealing within the next four to five days.
WJAX
