USFA LODD: Two Michigan Firefighters On-Duty Death Notification 08.27.2016

On  August 27, 2016 Firefighter James Shelifoe, Jr., 23, and FirefighterAlan Swartz, 25, were killed when the fire apparatus (crew vehicle) they were riding in on Interstate 35W near Blaine, Minnesota, crashed into the median barrier and rolled a number of times. Several other firefighters riding in the truck were seriously injured and transported to the hospital. The firefighters, members of the Beartown Fire Department’s Type 2 wildland handcrew, were on their way to work the Box Canyon Fire in Utah when the crash occurred. The fatal incident remains under investigation by authorities.

  

Our condolences to the Shelifoe Family, the Swartz Family, & Friends, the Beartown Fire Department - Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and to all affected by Firefighter James Shelifoe's and FirefighterAlan Swartz's passing.     

  

To date, 56 and 57 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)