USFA LODD: Colorado Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.22.2020

Ricky Fulton died in a plane crash while help battling a wildfire. Now, he is being remembered as a "kitten whisperer."

On September 22, 2020, Firefighter/Pilot Ricky Fulton, 58, died after his single-engine air tanker crashed while he was fighting the Schill Fire near Emmett, Idaho. The crash occurred under unknown circumstances and remains under investigation. The aircraft that Firefighter/Pilot Fulton was flying, T-857, was owned by Aero S.E.A.T. Incorporated and was on an on-call contract with BLM Fire and Aviation at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The Schill Fire started the afternoon of September 22, 2020, in brush and steep terrain. It was contained later that night after it burned about 30 acres. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

Our condolences to the Fulton Family & Friends, Aero S.E.A.T. Incorporated, and to all affected by Firefighter/Pilot Ricky Fulton's passing.

To date, 68 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: West Virginia Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.23.2020

While on duty, Fire Chief Richard “Rick” Todd, 58, responded to an EMS call where an individual had a known case of COVID-19.  Fire Chief Todd subsequently contracted the virus and passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

Our condolences to the Todd Family & Friends, Saltem Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Fire Chief Richard “Rick” Todd's passing.

To date, 67 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: Virginia Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.23.2020

In the early morning hours of September 23, 2020, Firefighter/EMT Charles Woods, 58, responded to a residential fire in Marion, VA, with the Adwolfe Volunteer Fire Department. Upon arrival, the occupant of the residence was secured and fire suppression activities began. During operations, Firefighter/EMT Woods was found unresponsive in a tanker after having filled it from a nearby fire hydrant and completing several other on-scene duties. Crews at the scene immediately provided lifesaving efforts and transported Firefighter/EMT Woods to Smyth County Community Hospital. All attempts to revive Firefighter/EMT Woods, however, were not successful. 

Our condolences to the Woods Family & Friends, Adwolfe Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Charles Woods' passing.

To date, 66 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: North Carolina Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.22.2020

 

Deputy Chief Jason Dean, 42, tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on August 12, 2020, while working a shift at the Clayton Fire Department after exposure on the job. On August 18, 2020, Deputy Chief Dean was admitted to the hospital for complications due to COVID-19. Deputy Chief Dean remained under hospital care until September 22, 2020, when he succumbed to the virus.  

Our condolences to the Dean Family & Friends, Clayton Fire Department, and to all affected by Deputy Chief Jason Dean's passing.

To date, 65 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.17.2020

Firefighter Charles Morton, 39, Squad Boss on the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Crew, died during interagency fire suppression activities on the El Dorado Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest in California on September 17, 2020. The Big Bear Hotshots are local to the San Bernardino National Forest.  

Our condolences to the Morton Family & Friends, San Bernardino National Forest Big Bear Hotshots, and to all affected by Firefighter Charles Morton's passing.  

To date, 64 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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 09.18.2020

On May 2, 2020, while responding to a structure fire, Second Assistant Fire Chief James P. Brooks Jr., 45, thought he pulled a muscle. While tending to his duties when at the scene, Brooks started to feel intense pain. He was transported to the Rutland Regional Medical Center in Vermont where it was determined that he suffered a torn aorta. He was then airlifted to the University of Vermont Medical Center. During this hospital stay, Brooks suffered multiple complications including a blood clot, kidney damage, and a heart attack. A subsequent emergency operation resulted in Brooks experiencing three strokes that left him confined to a wheelchair with only the use of his right arm. Brooks was eventually released from the hospital on July 31, 2020. Brooks passed away, however, at his sister’s residence on September 18, 2020.   

Our condolences to the Brooks Family & Friends, Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company, and to all affected by Second Assistant Fire Chief James P. Brooks Jr.'s passing.  

To date, 63 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: Texas Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.13.2020

On September 9, 2020, at approximately 3:00 am, Fire Captain Frazier Lee Holbert, 57, went to bed at the fire station after returning from an emergency call. Soon thereafter, he suffered a stroke. Fellow firefighters later found Holbert unresponsive and transported him to a local hospital. He was subsequently transported to another hospital where he passed away on September 13, 2020.   

Our condolences to the Holbert Family & Friends, Carrollton Fire Rescue, and to all affected by Captain Frazier Lee Holbert's passing.  

To date, 62 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: Texas Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 09.08.2020

 

On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, Captain Thomas Searcy, 45, was battling COVID-19 when he passed away in the Intensive Care Unit at the Memorial Hermann Hospital. He had been hospitalized for a month fighting the virus. Captain Searcy contracted COVID-19 from exposure in the workplace from numerous fire and EMS calls he responded to where individuals had been diagnosed with the disease. 

Our condolences to the Stearcy Family & Friends, Houston Fire Department, and to all affected by Captain Thomas Searcy's passing.

To date, 61 firefighter fatalities reported to USFA in 2020. 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: Oregon Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 08.31.2020

 

On Monday, August 31, 2020, Firefighter Diane Jones, 63, who worked for a private company during the wildland fire season, KL Farms/Fire LLC, was battling the wildfires in the Mendocino National Forest in California, when she was involved in a vehicle crash, along with two other firefighters.  Firefighter Jones was repositioning the engine when it backed over an embankment and into a fire.  She passed away from the injuries she sustained in the accident.  One of the two other firefighters is being treated for injuries sustained in the crash, while the third firefighter was uninjured.  Firefighter Diane Jones was a volunteer firefighter for the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department in Cresson, Texas.  Her son, Captain Ian Shelly, also a member of the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department, was fighting the wildfires in the Mendocino National Forest as well.

Our condolences to the Jones Family & Friends, SKL Farms/Fire LLC, and to all affected by Firefighter Diane Jones's passing.    

To date, 60 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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: Montana Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 08.24.2020

 

On Monday, August 24, 2020, Pilot Thomas Duffy, 40, flying a Type 1 Kmax helicopter, was conducting bucket drops while battling the White River Fire in Mount Hood National Forest, when his helicopter crashed.  He worked for Central Copters, Inc., a private family run company out of Belgrade, Montana, as a wildland-contract pilot for the U.S. Forest Service.  The official cause of the crash is under investigation. 

Our condolences to the Duffy Family & Friends, Central Copters, Inc., and to all affected by Firefighter Pilot Thomas Duffy's passing.    

To date, 59 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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 Hampshire Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 08.31.2020

On Monday, August 31, 2020, during a mandated physical fitness ability test at the New Hampshire Fire Academy in Concord, New Hampshire, Interim Captain Steven W. Tower, 54, became ill and collapsed.  Aid was rendered to him and he was immediately transported to the local hospital where he passed away a short time later.  The cause of his death is under investigation.  Interim Captain Steven W. Tower retired four years ago from the Goffstown Fire Department after 30 years of service.  The town had asked him to come back as the Interim Fire Chief.  When Fire Chief Brian H. Allard was hired, he asked Interim Captain Tower to remain with the department and help with logistics.  At the time of Interim Captain Tower’s passing, he was taking a mandated physical fitness ability test in order to become a full-time Captain again with the department.  During his time as Interim Captain, he responded to fire incidents and was assigned exterior firefighting duties. 

Our condolences to the Tower Family & Friends, Goffstown Fire Department, and to all affected by Interim Captain Steven W. Tower's passing. 

To date, 58 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2020. 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.