USFA LODD: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 07.29.2019

On Sunday, July 28, 2019, Firefighter Yaroslav Katkov, 29, was on a training hike with his crew in San Diego County.  During the hike, he suffered a medical emergency and was immediately flown to Temecula Valley Hospital in Riverside County where he passed away on Monday, July 29, 2019.

Our condolences to the Katkov Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter Yaroslav Katkov’s passing. 

   

To date, 29 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 08.09.2018

On August 9, 2018, at approximately 00:19 hrs., in a single vehicle crash, Heavy Equipment Mechanic Andrew Brake, 40, the sole occupant, had been driving northbound on Highway 99 when the CAL FIRE support vehicle ran off the road, hit a tree and burst into flames. The collision happened near Los Molinos in Tehama County. Heavy Equipment Mechanic Andrew Brake was assigned to work the Carr Fire burning in Shasta and Trinity counties.  

Our condolences to the Brake Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Heavy Equipment Mechanic Andrew Brake’s passing. 

To date, 61 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 07.27.2018

On July 27, 2018 Firefighter/Bulldozer Operator Don Smith, 81, was operating his bulldozer while battling the Carr Fire in Northern California's Shasta County when he was overtaken by flames. Smith's body was found by emergency personnel in the area of Benson Drive and Rock Creek Road in Redding, California. The nature and cause of fatal injury are still to be reported.  

Our condolences to the Smith Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter/Bulldozer Operator Don Smith’s passing.  

To date, 58 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 07.14.2018

Firefighter/Equipment Operator Braden Varney, 36, was assigned to the Madera-Mariposa CAL FIRE unit, which has been fighting the 130-acre Ferguson Fire in the Sierra National Forest. On 07/14/2018, Firefighter/Equipment Operator Varney was working on a ridge to create a fire break. The bulldozer Varney was operating overturned and rolled down the ridge causing Varney to suffer fatal injuries. The wreckage was spotted by airplane on 07/15/2018 and crews reached the site and removed Varney's body on 07/16/2018. 
  
The accident is being investigated by Cal/OSHA.
Incident Location: Mariposa County, in the Sierra National Forest and near the west end of Yosemite National Park. 

Our condolences to the Varney Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter/Equipment Operator Braden Varney’s passing. 

To date, 53 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 12.14.2017

On December 14, 2017 Engineer Cory Iverson, 32, died while fighting the Thomas Fire near Fillmore, California. The nature and cause of Engineer Iverson's death has not been released pending a Cal Fire serious accident review. Engineer Iverson was part of a multi-engine strike team dispatched from the San Diego area more than a week ago to fight some of the largest fires in California’s history.

Our condolences to the Iverson Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Engineer Cory Iverson’s passing. 

To date, 84 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 10.16.2017

On October 16, 2017 Firefighter/Driver Garrett Paiz, 38, was killed in Napa, California, while operating an empty 1993 Kenworth water tender (tanker) when, according to the California Highway Patrol, the vehicle left the roadway on a curve and crashed through a guardrail down a ravine.  Firefighter/Driver Paiz, who died at the scene, was working on the Nuns fire burning in the hills above Oakville and was heading for a water resupply when the crash occurred near the bottom of a steep winding section of roadway called the Oakville Grade. According to initial reports, the roadway was closed for fire operations only at the time of the crash, and no other vehicles were involved. Firefighter/Driver Paiz, a native of the Coachella Valley in Southern California, and a volunteer firefighter with the Noel Fire Department in Missouri, was working as a contract firefighter with CAL FIRE at the time of his passing. The cause of the fatal incident remains under investigation by authorities.

Our condolences to the Paiz Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter/Driver Garrett Paiz’s passing. 

To date, 74 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 07.11.2017

Inmate Firefighter Frank Anaya, 22, was treated on scene and taken to the hospital in critical condition on July 5, 2017, after suffering a chainsaw injury to the leg while working a fire near Lakeside, California. Fire crews were clearing brush and working with air crews to successfully defend a threatened mobile home park when the injury occurred. Despite all efforts by medical personnel, Inmate Firefighter Anaya passed away on July 11, 2017.

Our condolences to the Anaya Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter Frank Anaya's passing. 

To date, 54 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 05.25.2017

Inmate Firefighter Matthew Beck, 26, was leading a crew clearing brush to contain a fire when a 120-foot tree uprooted and fell on him. Firefighter Beck suffered major head, neck, and back injuries. The remote location of the incident posed challenges for medical responders and before life-flight crews could get to him, Firefighter Beck passed away.

Our condolences to the Beck Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter Matthew Beck’s passing.  
          

To date, 43 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 07.26.2016

Dozer Operator Robert Oliver Reagan III, 35, on July 26, 2016, was fatally injured during night time operations when his bulldozer overturned while operating in steep terrain battling the Soberanes Fire in the Palo Colorado Canyon vicinity of California.

  

Our condolences to the Reagan Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Dozer Operator Robert Oliver Reagan III’s passing.     

  

To date, 50 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: California Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 02.26.2016

On February 25, 2016, inmate Firefighter Shawna Lynn Jones, 22, was working as part of a hand crew in a steep ravine on a fire in Agoura Hills-Malibu, California, when a large rock fell about 100 feet from the hillside above and struck her in the head. Firefighter Jones was treated immediately on scene by her fellow firefighters and quickly hoisted into a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter then airlifted to UCLA Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries the following day on February 26, 2016. Thanks to firefighters on the ground combined with air attacks, the fire was brought under control and no structures were lost. Investigation into the cause of the fire continues by local and state authorities.

      

Our condolences to the Jones Family & Friends, CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Firefighter Shawna Lynn Jones,’s passing.
  
To date, 12 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: California Wildland Firefighter On-Duty Death Notification 04.13.2015

On April 13, 2015, Firefighter Raymond Araujo, 37, suffered a heart attack while engaged in a training exercise on the Morongo Indian Reservation near Banning, California. Firefighter Araujo succumbed to his injury after being airlifted to a base camp where he was treated by CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire Department medics.

Our condolences to the Araujo Family & Friends, CAL Fire, and to all affected by Wildland Firefighter Raymond Araujo’s passing.

To date, 25 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.) 

USFA LODD: California CAL FIRE Pilot On-Duty Death Notification 03.06.2015

On March 6, 2015 at 0900hrs, while on duty at Alma Helitack Base in Santa Clara County, California, CAL FIRE Pilot Jerold “Jerry” Bonner, 72,  was found deceased inside of his barracks from a cardiac related nature of fatal injury.

   

Our condolences to the Bonner Family & Friends, the CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Pilot Jerold "Jerry" Bonner's passing.

To date, 16 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.) 

USFA LODD – California Pilot Fatalities Notification 10.07.2014

On October 7, 2014 at 630hrs., Geoffrey "Craig" Hunt, 62, who was the pilot of a CAL FIRE S-21 air tanker was killed when his aircraft crashed while operating on the Dog Rock Fire near Arch Rock entrance of Yosemite National Park. There were no other occupants in the aircraft and no injuries were reported among fire crews on the ground near where the aircraft came down. Investigation into the fatal incident by state and federal authorities.
   

Our condolences to the Hunt Family & Friends, the CAL FIRE, and to all affected by Pilot Geoffrey "Craig" Hunt's passing.

  

To date, 67 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. 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.)