Our McKinney Texas Brother Firefighter/Clown Richard Smith passed away this evening after suffering injuries from falling while installing Christmas Decorations while off duty. Richard Smith was critically injured while hanging Christmas lights on the roof of his Little Elm home. Please keep Richard's wife Misty and their 2 children in your prayers during this Christmas season. Fellow firefighters of Smith's from Station Five say he was a guy who always had a smile on his face and was also an expert at making people laugh. "Richard was a big teddy bear," said Capt. Keith Whiteside, McKinney Fire Department. "Funny to be around. He was serious when he needed to be serious. He knew his job." "The thing that really sticks out in my mind is that he's a huge family man," said Andy Griffin, a fellow firefighter. Smith, a member of the fire department's life and safety team, was hanging Christmas lights on his roof when he slipped and fell 20 feet. When Smith first arrived at the hospital he was still conscious and had broken ribs. But once he was hospitalized, his condition worsened after doctors found internal injuries. "It kind of gets you down a little bit because you're thinking that him and his family are going through so much right now," said Brent Tillotson, a McKinney firefighter. "Everybody's praying, and I think the good Lord is looking after him," Griffin said. The men and women who serve with Smith say the desire to help him and his family has extended far beyond the walls of Station Five. Jeff Christenson Lewisville Fire Dept. Lewisville, Texas

Richard Smith