USFA LODD: Washington Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 11.27.2020

 

On the morning of Friday, November 27, 2020, Firefighter/EMT Alan Basso, 59, responded to two medical emergency calls, the last one dispatched at 0848hrs. Later that day, at 1355hrs, Basso was driving in the downtown area of Kalama when his vehicle collided with several parked vehicles. He was unconscious and not breathing, suffering a cardiac arrest. Citizen CPR was immediately initiated by a nearby off-duty Portland firefighter, 911 was summonsed, and Cowlitz County Fire District 5 resources arrived on-scene. Immediate advance life support measures were administered, and Basso was then transported to PeaceHealth St. Johns Medical Center where, despite all efforts, he was pronounced deceased.

Our condolences to the Basso Family & Friends, Cowlitz County Fire District 5 and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Alan Basso's passing.    

To date, 82 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: Washington Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 10.02.2019

On Sunday, September 1, 2019, the Okanogan Fire Department/Okanogan County Fire District 3 responded to the Spring Coulee wildland fire.  Assistant Chief Christian Dean Johnson, 55, and another firefighter were in a brush truck on the north end of the fire when the flames overtook them.  The firefighter with Assistant Chief Johnson was able to outrun the fire, but Johnson was unable to escape.  The other firefighter came back to treat him and called for help.  Assistant Chief Johnson was airlifted to the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA, where he died on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, from the burn injuries he sustained in the fire.

Our condolences to the Family & Friends, Okanogan Fire Department/Okanogan County Fire District 3, and to all affected by Assistant Chief Christian Dean Johnson’s passing.

   

To date, 41 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.

USFA LODD: Washington Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.16.2018

On Friday December 14, 2018, Captain John Ostergard, 63, collapsed at the scene of a working structure fire in Yelm, WA.  He was immediately transported to the Providence Saint Peters Hospital in Olympia, WA, where he passed away on Sunday, December 16, 2018.  The nature and cause of fatal injury have not yet been reported.  

  

Our condolences to the Ostergard Family & Friends, East Olympia Fire District 6, and to all affected by Captain John Ostergard’s passing. 

   

To date, 82 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2018. 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: Washington Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 07.14.2017

On July 14, 2017 Interim Fire Chief Robert Spinner, 50, died from an apparent heart attack while on-duty and participating in a fire department fitness activity (jogging).

Our condolences to the Spinner Family & Friends, Lynden Fire Department, and to all affected by Interim Fire Chief Robert Spinner's passing. 

To date, 56 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2017. 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: 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: 3 Washington Wildfire Firefighters On-Duty Death Notification 08.19.2015

Firefighter Richard Wheeler age 31, Firefighter Andrew Zajac age 26, and Firefighter Tom Zbyszewski age 20, on August 19, 2015 were killed and one additional firefighter was injured when the Twisp wildfire trapped them in their apparatus on state forest land. The firefighters, members of an engine crew from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, were involved in initial attack operations on the fire near Woods Canyon and Twisp River Roads in Washington State when their vehicle crashed and fire overtook it after winds suddenly shifted. The injured firefighter remains in the hospital in critical condition. Several other firefighters with dozer crews were also reported to have been injured. Investigation into the fatal incident continues.

               
Our condolences to the Wheeler, Zajac, & Zbyszewski Families & Friends, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and to all affected by Firefighter Richard Wheeler’s, Firefighter Andrew Zajac’s, and Firefighter Tom Zbyszewski's passing.

  

To date, 54, 55, 56 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2015. 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.)