To view the FireEngineering.com 2002 LODD list, click HERE.
To view the FireEngineering.com 2001 LODD list, click HERE.
November 17. Captain Gary Boyert, 53, of the Kansas City Kansas Fire Department, Kansas City, KS, was responding to what turned out to be a false reporting of a fire when his fire department vehicle crashed on rain-slickened streets and struck a utility pole. Boyert was transported to the hospital but died from injuries received.
November 17. Paramedic/Firefighter Richard Tiffany, Clark County Fire District #12, Rdigefield, WA, died of a cardiac arrest while participating in a physical fitness activity at the fire station.
November 15. Chief Lawrence Yonkin, 56, of the Forest View-Gang Mills Fire Department, Painted Post, NY, died of an apparent heart attack after returning home from a civilian casualty house fire response.
November 8. Firefighter Matthew Brimer, 18, of the Weaver Fire Department, Weaver, AL, Firefighter died in a vehicle accident (POV) in Calhoun County on his way to a reported structure fire.
November 8. Fire Police Officer George Petrosky, 80, of the Matawan Borough Fire Department, Matawan, NJ, was directing traffic at a motor vehicle accident when he passed out due to a cardiac arrhythmia and struck his head on the pavement. The following day surgery was performed to stop bleeding in his brain caused by the head trauma. He lapsed into a coma and never regained consciousness and passed away on November 8, 2003.
November 3. President Darrell Michael, 60, of the Russell Fire Company, Russell, PA, was at the station on standby and also getting ready for a fundraiser. He had climbed up a storage ladder in the fire station and for an unknown cause fell and hit his head and was discovered injured at the bottom of the ladder. He had been kept on life support until November 3 when the life support was removed.
November 2. Lieutenant Barry Bennett, 49, of the Cambridge Fire Department, Cambridge, MA, was inadvertently punctured by a needle while rendering assistance at a medical emergency on October 15, 1987. The injury was reported immediately and he began a course of medical treatment and observation. Unfortunately he tested positive for Hepatitis-C when he thus began a more aggressive form of treatment. He was promoted to Lieutenant on September 18, 1998 and continued to work until early 2003 when his illness progressed to the point where he could no longer perform his duties. He was placed on an organ donor list for a new liver, which he received in May 2003 because his condition had become so grave. He succumbed to his injuries on November 2, 2003.
October 30. Chief Roy Prouty, 39, of the Country Lakes Fire Company, Browns Mills, NJ, was setting up a landing zone for a medical evacuation helicopter in support of a motor vehicle accident that occurred in an adjacent fire district when he suffered an apparent heart attack and collapsed on scene. He went into cardiac arrest while being transported to the hospital via ambulance. He was pronounced dead at Burlington Memorial Hospital after efforts to revive him failed.
October 29. Engineer Steve Rucker, 38, of the Novato Fire Protection District, Novato, CA, died from injuries received operating on the Cedar fire in San Diego County, CA when his position was overrun by fire.
October 27. Assistant Chief Don Billig, 49, of the St. Cloud Fire Department, Volunteer Division, St. Cloud, MN, responded with a crew to a report of a generator smoking at a roadside construction site. After arriving at the incident scene and while replacing a barricade blocking the construction zone, a pickup truck struck his crew’s truck, a heavy duty pickup outfitted to fight grass fires, then struck Billig killing him. The driver of the pickup truck after leaving the scene of the accident on foot turned himself into law enforcement officials the following morning.
October 26. Fire Marshal Roy Duhon, 49, of the Clute Fire Department, Clute, TX, had been at a fire that afternoon, finished the investigation and gone home. At that time, he complained of minor chest pain, but did not think anything of it. At or around 2000 hrs, he had a light heart attack, took a shower and lay down. At 2200 hrs he suffered another heart attack from which he did not recover.
October 21. Assistant Fire Chief James Richards, 49, of the Oran Fire Department, Oran, IA succumbed to a heart attack while fighting a grass fire in rural Bremer County.
October 14. Pilot Richard Black, 57, of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Salem OR, was killed when the helicopter in which he was flying to scout water holes for future forest fire suppression activities crashed near Swisshome, OR.
October 14. Forest Unit Supervisor David Mackey, 53, of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Salem OR, was killed when the helicopter in which he was flying to scout water holes for future forest fire suppression activities crashed near Swisshome, OR.
October 7. Firefighter James Allen, 43, of the Philadelphia Fire Department, Philadelphia, PA, was at the scene of a working fire ventilating on the roof of a two-story building around 0745hrs when he collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack.
October 3. Co-Pilot John Attardo, 51, of the Minden Air Corp, Minden, NV, was killed when his air tanker, a twin-engine P2-V, crashed due to a cause still to be determined near Redlands, CA.
October 3. Pilot Carl Dolbeare, 54, of the Minden Air Corp, Minden, NV, was killed when his air tanker, a twin-engine P2-V, crashed due to a cause still to be determined near Redlands, CA.
October 1. Firefighter John Garman, 40, of the New Bremen German Township Fire Department, New Bremen, OH, was killed when while hosing down dust in a lumber company silo in an effort to avoid an explosion, one occurred, killing him and injuring others.
October 1. Firefighter Kenneth Jutte, 44, of the New Bremen German Township Fire Department, New Bremen, OH, was killed when while hosing down dust in a lumber company silo in an effort to avoid an explosion, one occurred, killing him and injuring others.
September 30. Firefighter Gerald Williams, 60, of the Cool Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., suffered a fatal heart attack during the early morning hours while sleeping at the fire station after participating in strenuous hose training the night before.
September 27. Chief Jon Bill Luttman, 53, of the Redkey Volunteer Fire Department, Redkey, IN, was participating in a department fund raising event on the morning of 09/27/2003 and complained of not feeling well. Luttman went home and rested for a while then drove himself the hospital complaining of flu-like symptoms, he then had a heart attack and passed away.
September 27. Firefighter James O’Shea, 41, of the Fire Department City of New York, of New York, NY, suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Holbrook, NY, after fighting a fire in Queens shortly before his tour of duty ended.
September 20. Fire Police Officer William Wheeler, 67, of the Saxton Volunteer Fire Department, Saxton, PA, was involved in a single car accident while responding to another vehicle accident. An investigation into his accident is continuing.
September 10. Assistant Chief Harry Zilkan, 56, of the Newberry Springs Fire Department, Newberry Springs, CA, suffered a major heart attack while directing fire attack at a residential structure fire. Although revived enroute to the hospital, the organ was severly damaged leaving only 20% functionality. A year later, a heart transplant was performed and Zilkan was able to return to limited duties. Recently the transplanted organ began to fail leading to his death.
September 9. Firefighter William Ramsey, 42, of the Connellsville Township Volunteer Fire Department, Connellsville, PA, died of an apparent heart attack after returning to the station from an alarm.
September 6. Captain Jerry Wayne Armstrong, 45, of the Bryant Volunteer Fire Department, Bryant, IN, suffered a massive heart attack and died while working a fundraiser event at a community festival.
September 2. Lieutenant Stephen Gavin, 52, of the Owego Fire Department, Owego, NY, died as a result of heart related problems suffered while in the line of duty at a mutual aid structure fire.
August 24. Eight firefighters, Ricardo, Ruiz, 19, Mark Ransdell, 23, Leland Price, Jr., 27, Richard Moore, II, 21, Jesse James, 22, Jeff Hengel, 21, David Hammer, 38, and Paul Gibson, 25, of First Strike Environmental, Roseburg, OR, died on their way home from fighting a wildfire in South Fork, Idaho when their van collided with a tractor-trailer and exploded in flames, killing all inside and injuring the two people in the semi-trailer.
August 20. Inmate Firefighter Edward Buti, 54, of the Idaho Correctional Institution – Orofino, Orofino, ID, died from a cause to be determined as he was hiking to a wildfire (Slims fire complex near Elk City, ID) with an inmate firefighting crew.
August 15. State Firefighter I Wayne Mickle, 48, of the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew, Bureau of Fire, Pittsfield, MA, died while in camp in his sleep from an apparent heart attack. Mickle was working with the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew battling forest fires near Missoula, Montana (Boles/Rattlesnake fire complex) and had reportedly complained in a phone call to his wife after coming off of the fire line that he was not feeling well and might seek medical attention.
August 13. Firefighter Larry Lutsy, 44, of the Racine Volunteer Fire Department, Racine, WV, was killed when struck by apparatus while it was backing into a bay at the fire station after returning from a call.
August 8. Firefighter Recruit Wayne Mitchell, 37, of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami, FL, was overcome by heat during simulated shipboard fire training at the Resolve Marine Fire School in Port Everglades, FL and died while in transit to the hospital. Several other firefighter recruits suffered heat injuries in this training incident but were treated and released from the hospital.
August 6. Firefighter/EMT Ronald Holmes, 43, of the North Platte Fire Department, North Platte, NE, suffered vehicular traumatic death while conducting a routine patient transport.
August 6. Firefighter Alan Koval, 41, of the Inkom Fire Department, Inkom, ID, died from injuries received when for a cause still to be determined the municipal truck he was driving in support of operations at a wildland fire left the interstate highway it was traveling and crashed over an embankment.
July 28. Lieutenant Randy Jones, 23, of the Cool Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., Statesville, NC, died from traumatic injuries sustained after being involved in a motor vehicle crash (POV) while responding to a structure fire. Mr. Jones was pronounced dead at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
July 26. Firefighter/Helitack Crewmember, 32, was killed when for a cause still to be determined the helicopter crashed while taking firefighters from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to begin an initial attack on a fire in the Aspen Ridge area of Arizona.
July 26. Pilot Jess Pearce, 50, of BIA Fire Management, Whiteriver, AZ, was killed when for a cause still to be determined the helicopter crashed while taking firefighters from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to begin an initial attack on a fire in the Aspen Ridge area of Arizona.
July 25. Pilot Randall Harmon, 44, of Superior Helicopter LLC, Grants Pass, OR, was killed when his helicopter crashed while fighting the McGinnis Flats fire (northeastern Washington state).
July 23. Firefighter Douglas Coffey, 51, of the Blowing Rock Fire Department, Blowing Rock, NC, died from an apparent heart attack after returning home from working a residential structure fire.
July 22. Firefighter Jeff Allen, 24, of the U.S. Forest Service, Salmon – Challis National Forest, Upper Columbia – Salmon Clearwater District BLM, Salmon ID, was killed when fast moving flames on the Cramer Fire in the Salmon – Challis National Forest, trapped him.
July 22. Firefighter Shane Heath, 22, of the U.S. Forest Service, Salmon – Challis National Forest, Upper Columbia – Salmon Clearwater District BLM, Salmon ID, was killed when fast moving flames on the Cramer Fire in the Salmon – Challis National Forest, trapped him.
July 21. Firefighter Samuel Lee Green, 50 of the Shelby County Fire Department, Memphis, TN, suffered a heart attack while on duty at the firehouse.
July 9. Assistant Chief Doug Thomas, 41 of the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Deparrment, Stevensville, MD, was injured on September 16, 2001, while responding to a boat fire at the Kent Island Yacht Club. The responding engine that he was operating left the roadway striking a utility pole and overturned. Since the accident, Assistant Chief Thomas had been in and out of the Shock Trauma Center several times. On July 9, 2003, he was removed from life support and passed away.
June 26. Assistant Chief/EMT/SAR Coordinator Ralph Dawdy, 47 of Animas Fire and Rescue, Animas, NM, and who also served as Chief of the Cotton City VFD, was operating a tanker on a forest road while responding to the Jenny Fire in Gila National Forest. Due to a cause still to be determined, the tanker left the roadway and rolled several times down a slope ejecting Dawdy who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
June 19. Firefighter/Fuels Management Supervisor Rick Lupe, 43, of the Fort Apache Agency, US Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Whiteriver, AZ, was seriously burned over 40% of his body when he was overcome by fire progress in a prescribed burn project. Lupe underwent multiple skin graft surgeries at the Maricopa Burn Center in Phoenix but died from the injuries a month later.
June 16. Firefighter/EMT Randy Utley, 30, of the Grayson Fire Department, Grayson, KY was enroute to an emergency call in his privately owned vehicle when the vehicle hydroplaned and left the roadway striking a billboard sign post. Utley was extricated from the vehicle and rendered medical assistance on the scene then transported to a trauma center where a short time later he died from injuries received.
June 16. Private Charles Zachary, 39, of the City of Memphis Fire Department, Memphis, TN died from injuries received when he became trapped inside of a burning Family Dollar store.
June 16. Lieutenant Trent Kirk, 39, of the City of Memphis Fire Department, Memphis, TN died from injuries received when he became trapped inside of a burning Family Dollar store.
June 14. Fire Police Officer Donald Schreckengast, 55, of the Logan Fire Company, Bellefonte, PA, collapsed while directing traffic at the annual Bellefonte Cruise Parade. He later died at the Centre Community Hospital at 2004 hrs.
May 26. Lieutenant David Carbonneau, Sr., 49, of the Maytown East Donegal Township Fire Department, Maytown, PA, was riding a fire department vehicle, moving between traffic points during the annual Memorial Day parade when he became ill. He was taken to the Susquehanna Division of Lancaster General Hospital where he died of an apparent heart attack.
May 24. Firefighter Jason Lee Ellis, 29, of the Loretto Fire Department, Loretto, TN had been participating in a weekend training exercise at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy. After the training activity had concluded, he was critically injured when he fell from the back of a pick-up truck and hit his head on the road while traveling from the training grounds to the front of the campus. Firefighter Ellis was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died within a week after the incident.
May 22. Fire Explorer Anndee Huber, 16, of the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department, Newcastle, WY, was ejected from the cab of the tanker truck and trapped underneath when the driver lost control of the vehicle. Fire Explorer Huber was transported to Weston County Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
May 5. Firefighter/Fire Policeman Wentzell Harding, 81, of the Mexico Fire Department, Mexico, ME, was enroute to establish a nearby traffic control point (TCP) after arriving at the scene of a residential kitchen fire when he suffered an apparent heart attack causing his private vehicle to leave the roadway and collide into a tree. A Rumford officer and two citizens who were passing by pulled Wentzell from the burning vehicle but all attempts at reviving him failed.
April 26. Firefighter Bruce Spaulding, 49, of the Bourbonnais Fire Protection District, Bourbonnais, IL, was reportedly cutting the department’s lawn in the area of an incline when he fell or the lawnmower he was on tipped over causing a head injury. Spaulding was transported to a local hospital then airlifted to a regional medical center where a short time later he died.
April 22. Firefighter & Dept. President Carl Mack, 68, of the New Chester Fire Deptartment, Grand Marsh, WI, collapsed from an apparent heart attack at the scene of a structure fire.
April 19. Fire Police Captain Woodrow Pinkerton, 63, of the Union Fire Company, Station 251, Medford NJ Division of Fire, Medford, NJ, succumbed to injuries suffered in the line of duty on February 23, 2003. He was struck by a car while operating at the scene of a motor vehicle accident on State Highway 70.
April 14. Lieutenant John Patrick, 54, of the Gwinnett County Dept Of Fire & Emergency Service, Lawrenceville, GA, collapsed and died from a heart attack while ventilating the roof of a motorcycle repair shop fire.
April 13. Chief Edward Weber, 56, of the Elkhart Lake Fire Department, Elkhart Lake, WI, was working his third fire of the day when he began to feel ill. He collapsed and was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death was determined to ba a heart attack.
April 10. Assistant Chief Vannie Keever, 54, of the Gulfport/Gladstone FPD, Gladstone, IL, collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack at the scene of a vacant mobile home fire.
April 8. Deputy Chief Donald Maurice, 52, of the Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department, Co. #1, Wolcott, CT, collapsed and died in the apparatus bay from an apparent heart attack after being called into the firehouse for an alarm (errant detector in a convalesant hospital).
April 7. Battalion Chief Randy Hill, 43, Screven County Fire Department, Sylvania, GA, collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack after completing a three-mile walk as part of his monthly physical fitness training.
April 3. Firefighter Richard Long, 56, of the Gallipolis Fire Department, Galllipolis, OH, died of injuries he suffered when the pumper apparatus he was operating en route to a brush fire left the roadway and overturned.
March 30. Fire Police/Firefighter Isaac Tshudy, 62, of the Lickdale Volunteer Fire Department, Jonestown, PA, was directing traffic at the scene of an accident on I-81 when he became ill. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance where he was pronounced dead.
March 27. Fire Suppression and Mitigation Specialist/Aviatio Charles Krenek, 48, of the Texas Forest Service, Lufkin, TX, died in a helicopter crash while he and his crew were doing an aerial search for Space Shuttle Columbia debris in East Texas.
March 26. Firefighter/Training Officer Kevin Whitely, 48, of the Emmett City Fire Department, Emmett, ID, responded to a gas leak call which turned into a carbon monoxide situation. He was walking to the fire truck when he collapsed. Resuscitation efforts failed. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
March 25. Youth Firefighter Karlton Allen Cole Briscoe, 16, of the Hickory Flat Volunteer Fire Department, HIckory Flat, MS adied from injuries received when his private vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a ravine while responding to an alarm.
March 22. Firefighter James Smith, 62, of the Troy Volunteer Fire Department, Troy, IN, Died from an apparent heart attack while working a residential fire.
March 21. Firefighter Oscar Armstrong, III, 25, of the Cincinnati Fire Department, Cincinnati, OH, died from burn injuries received in a flashover while working a residential fire.
March 19. Captain Tom Kistler, 53, of the Polk County Fire District #1, Independence, OR, died from injuries received when the fire apparatus he was riding in while enroute to a training exercise left the roadway and crashed into a ditch.
March 18. Firefighter Charles Mathew, 20, of the La Belle-Fannett Volunteer Fire Department, Beaumont, TX, was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer truck as he attempted to cross Interstate 10 at the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Weather conditions at the time were dark with fog.
March 15. Firefighter Stanley Mike, 52, of the Salisbury Fire Department, Salisbury, MO, died after becoming ill at the scene of a grass fire, probable heart attack.
March 9. Firefighter Bruce Young, 60, of the Middlebury Fire Department, Middlebury, VT, died from an apparent heart attack while responding to an alarm. He had started the engine of the apparatus but before exiting the station was discovered slumped over the wheel.
February 26. Firefighter/EMT Curtis Walters, 52, of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Fire Department, Bentonville, AR, died from an apparent heart attack while performing routine station duties.
February 20. Captain Larry Brown, 53, of the Kingsley Field Fire Department, Klamath Falls, OR, died from an apparent heart attack while performing routine station duties.
February 12. Trainee Wayne Clark, 46, of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, Dallas, TX, collapsed and died from a cause still to be determined while participating in exercises at the departments’ training facility.
February 1. Engineer Robert Moseley, 52, of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, died of an apparent heart attack while clearing brush for use of area by a training class.
February 1. Firefighter George Walker, 62, of the Clarksville Fire Department, Clarksville, IN, suffered a heart attack while working a residential structure fire. He was treated at the scene by EMS and transported to the hospital where a number of weeks later he passed away.
January 25. Captain Michael Copeland, 50, of the City of Charlotte Fire Department, Charlotte, NC, was participating in a live fire training exercise as the incident commander, where after getting off the truck in full gear he collapsed of an apparent heart attack.
January 21. Captain Dennis Mignerone, 50, of the Webster Groves Fire Department, Webster Groves, MO, was on duty and was doing department prescribed exercises when he had chest pains. He was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead from causes still to be determined (probably a heart attack).
January 20. Firefighter/EMT Keith Hess, 22, of the Fannett Metal Fire Department, Dry Run, PA, died from injuries received when injured at an apartment building fire in the village of Blairs Mills while doing salvage and overhaul operations. He became trapped when a chimney collapsed taking the second floor down with it. The cause of death has been determined to be compressional asphyxia.
January 19. Firefighter Gary Staley, 32, of the Porter Volunteer Fire Department, Porter, TX, died from injuries received when he became trapped due to rapid fire progress while working on a hose line in an auto repair shop blaze.
January 19. Firefighter James Taylor, 28, of the Bonham Fire Department, Bonham, TX, died from injuries received when the ambulance in which he was riding was involved in an accident while responding to another fatal motor vehicle accident.
January 17. Fire Police Officer James McAuley, 78, of the Polk Township Volunteer Fire Department, died of cardiac arrest. He was found slumped in his truck after assisting at the scene of a car fire on RT 209 near the Carbon County line.
January 14. Captain Joseph Rotherham, 46, of the Springfield Fire/Rescue Department, Springfield, IL, suffered an apparent heart attack at the scene of a working fire.
January 13. Firefighter Melinda Ohler, 46, of the San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco, CA, died from head injuries received when she fell out of the back of the open cab of fire apparatus she was riding as it responded to what turned out to be false at San Francisco International Airport.
January 9. Firefighter James Periera, of the Guam Fire Department, Guam, died from a cause still to be determined while on-duty at the Agat Fire Station.
January 8. Firefighter Lattie Collins, III, of the Donalsonville Fire Department, Donalsonville, GA, died enroute to the station in response to a motor vehicle accident alarm call when his personal vehicle was struck in an intersection.
January 7. Firefighter/Traffic Control Terry Carroll, 51, of the Coats-Grove Fire & Rescue, Inc., Coats-Grove, NC, passed away at Duke Medical Center as a result of a massive heart attack he suffered during a medical response on 12/27/02.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
