LODD: North Carolina Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.27.2016

On  Sunday, December 25, at 1617 hours, Station 51 was dispatched to an Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA).  Lieutenant Donald “Reid” Key II, 31, responded as the Driver of 516 (Tanker); however, was cancelled upon arrival by the Chief who had confirmed the AFA was accidental and no assistance was needed.  Upon returning to the station, Lieutenant Key assisted several fellow firefighters with washing, cleaning equipment, repacking hose on 511 (returning from 2nd alarm structure fire).  Later that evening after returning home, Lieutenant Key began experiencing a headache.  The next morning (12/26/2016), the headache worsened, at which time Key’s wife drove him to Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, NC.  After being evaluated, Lieutenant Key was airlifted to UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital where he arrived midday (12/26/2016).  He passed away at approximately 1345 hours on 12/27/2016. The nature and cause of fatal injury are still to be reported.

  
Our condolences to the Key Family & Friends, Whispering Pines Fire Rescue Department & EMS, and to all affected by Lieutenant Donald “Reid” Key II’s passing. 

To date, 90 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Michigan Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.27.2016

On  December 27, 2016 at 0800hrs while preparing to leave the fire station upon completion of his shift which included responses to three emergency incidents, Captain Fred A. Newton, Sr., 66, went out to the station parking lot to start and warm his car. At 0815hrs, as other members of the fire department arrived at the station, they noticed Captain Newton was in his car and had perhaps fallen asleep while the vehicle was still running. When a firefighter went outside and knocked on a window of the vehicle there was no response. He then opened the door and noticed Captain Newton was not breathing. Emergency dispatch was notified and the EMS crew at the station immediately began to render assistance, including ALS procedures, and transported Captain Fred A. Newton, Sr. to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
    

Our condolences to the Newton Family & Friends, Somerset Township Fire Department & EMS, and to all affected by Firefighter/Smokejumper Captain Fred A. Newton, Sr.’s passing.    

  

To date, 89 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.) 

USFA LODD: Indiana Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.24.2016

On  December 24, 2016 at 0126hrs ,while responding to an early morning alarm call, Firefighter Richard Rehm’s, 37, privately owned vehicle became stuck on an active railroad crossing. A short time later, Firefighter Rehm was struck and killed by a passing train.
    

Our condolences to the Rehm Family & Friends, McCordsville Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter Richard Rehm’s passing.   

  

To date, 88 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.) 

USFA LODD: New York Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.20.2016

On  December 20, 2016 after responding with his fire department to a structure fire earlier in the evening, Fire Chief Arthur "Art" Brault, 54, was discovered by his wife deceased in bed when he did not turn out for a second structure fire alarm call.
    

Our condolences to the Brault Family & Friends, Cumberland Head Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Fire Chief Arthur "Art" Brault,’s passing.   

  

To date, 87 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: New Jersey Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.16.2016

Deputy  Fire Coordinator Louis Kelly, 70, on December 8, 2016 at 1327hrs, responded to a multi-alarm residential structure fire in Clark, NJ.  He arrived on scene and assisted with operations at the Incident Command Post.  While on scene, he suffered a medical emergency and went into cardiac arrest.  He was immediately tended to by emergency responders, who performed CPR and utilized an AED to regain his pulse and breathing.  He was transported to a local hospital for treatment, and while still hospitalized the following week, his condition deteriorated and he passed away on December 16, 2016.
    

Our condolences to the Kelly Family & Friends, Union County Fire Office of Emergency Management, and to all affected by Deputy Fire Coordinator Louis Kelly’s passing.   

  

To date, 86 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Oregon Firefighter/Smokejumper On-Duty Death Notification 12.19.2016

Firefighter/Smokejumper  Ray Rubio, 52, passed away in the Grandview Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama, from injuries he suffered in a fall on November 23, 2016. Rubio, a Smokejumper (RAC 95) with the Redmond Air Center (RAC) - Deschutes National Forest, had been assigned to the Southeast during an outbreak of multiple large fires in the region. Firefighter Rubio was reported to have been in travel status on his way home to Oregon and staying overnight in Birmingham at the time of his injury.
    

Our condolences to the Rubio Family & Friends, Redmond Smokejumpers - Redmond Air Center Deschutes National Forest, and to all affected by Firefighter/Smokejumper Ray Rubio’s passing.   

  

To date, 85 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Ohio Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.19.2016

On  December 19, 2016 at 1659hrs, Firefighter Ruben E. Mast, 43, was responding to an alarm in his privately owned Ford F-250 pickup truck when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a guardrail before overturning. Firefighter Mast was reported to have been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported by Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department and Smith Ambulance to Union Hospital in Dover, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
    

Our condolences to the Mast Family & Friends, Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter Ruben E. Mast’s passing.  

  

To date, 84 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: South Carolina Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.02.2016

On  December 2, 2016 at 1741hrs, after responding to a motor vehicle accident call with the Whitesville Fire Department and then returning home, Assistant Fire Chief Jeffery A. Worsham, 45, was found in the morning by his spouse in cardiac arrest. The Whitesville Fire Department responded to Assistant Fire Chief Worsham’s residence where he was treated and transported to the hospital but succumbed to his injury several days later.
    

Our condolences to the Worsham Family & Friends, Whitesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Assistant Fire Chief Jeffery A. Worsham’s passing.  

  

To date, 83 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Washington Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 11.28.2016

On  November28, 2016 at 2115hrs, after responding with his fire department to a residential fire and an aid call, Firefighter Charles “Doug” Archer, 49, returned to his residence to rest where he succumbed in his sleep.
    

Our condolences to the Archer Family & Friends, Spokane Fire District 8, and to all affected by Firefighter Charles “Doug” Archer’s passing.  

  

To date, 82 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Michigan Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 11.27.2016

On  November 27, 2016 later in the day after responding with his fire department to an early morning carbon monoxide alarm, Firefighter Thomas Gary Walker, 70, collapsed at home and was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported.
    

Our condolences to the Walker Family & Friends, Otsego County Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter Thomas Gary Walker’s passing. 

  

To date, 81 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Montana Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 11.30.2016

On  November 30, 2016 while serving on the Maple Spring wildfire in North Carolina, Blackfeet Nation Fire Management Crew Boss/Engine Boss Darryl Elden “Poor Boy” Vielle, 51, was found deceased in his motel room on the morning of November 30, 2016.  The Blackfeet Forestry and Fire Management crew has been supporting firefighters in North Carolina since November 10th.
    

Our condolences to the Vielle Family & Friends, Blackfeet Forestry and Fire Management, and to all affected by Crew Boss/Engine Boss Darryl Elden “Poor Boy” Vielle’s passing.

  

To date, 80 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.) 

USFA LODD: Delaware Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.01.2016

After spending more than two months in the hospital fighting her injuries, The Wilmington Fire Department has reported the death of a third firefighter, Senior Firefighter Ardythe “Ardy” Hope, 48, injured while trying to rescue her fellow firefighters who were trapped after a floor collapsed in a brick row home fire on September, 24th.
   

Wilmington firefighters Lieutenant Christopher M. Leach, 41, and Senior Firefighter Jerry W. Fickes, 51, were also killed in the fire and Firefighter Brad Speakman, who has since been released from the hospital, was seriously injured.
  
The family in the home at the time of the fire, including six children, managed to escape through the back of the residence. One of those residents, Beatrice Fana-Ruiz, the daughter of the homeowner, has been charged with arson and murder for intentionally setting the fire.

 

Our condolences to the Hope Family & Friends, Wilmington Fire Department, and to all affected by Senior Firefighter Ardythe “Ardy” Hope’s passing.

  

To date, 79 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2016. Yea-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.)