PHOTOS: Christopher Wheatley Fire Boat Christened in Chicago

More than 100 people gathered just east of Soldier Field on Thursday as the Chicago Fire Department christened its new fire boat, which is named after fallen firefighter Christopher Wheatley.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was on hand for the ceremony, joining Wheatley's friends and family and a large contingent from the Chicago Fire Department.

Commissioners decided to name the $8.5 million vessel "The Christopher Wheatley" to commemorate the 31-year-old firefighter/paramedic, who died last August fighting a restaurant fire in the West Loop.

Wheatley, a Lemont native, was carrying equipment up a fire escape when he fell 53 feet to his death.

Though he has received a number of honors over the past nine months, the boat is the most significant memorial to date, said his mother, Mary Wheatley.

"This is a beautiful thing — beautiful for Christopher and our family, and such an accomplishment for the Chicago Fire Department," she said.

The 228-ton, 90-foot long boat is the first vessel to be commissioned by the city in more than 60 years. It's the first to be named after a firefighter, said Richard Rosado, spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department.

"Usually you see these boats named after dignitaries or government officials," he said. "This is really something."

Coincidentally, the boat was constructed in a small Canadian town called Wheatley, Ontario.

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