USFA LODD: Maine Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 03.01.2019

Captain Joel Barnes, 32, was one of five firefighters who went into a three-story apartment building to fight a four-alarm fire. While inside the structure, conditions rapidly worsened. Three of the firefighters were able to escape. Captain Barnes and one other firefighter became trapped in a room of a third-floor apartment. While waiting to be rescued, Captain Barnes reportedly used his body to shield the other firefighter from the intense fire. Upon rescue, Captain Barnes was unresponsive, and EMTs and other colleagues immediately performed life-saving measures on him. Captain Barnes was then transported to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital where he was pronounced deceased from the injuries he sustained. The four other firefighters were treated and released by Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

  

Our condolences to the Barnes Family & Friends, Berwick Fire Department, and to all affected by Captain Joel Barnes’s passing.     

   

To date, 06 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2019. 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.)