U.S. Fire Administration

Firefighter Fatalities

in the United States 

in 2012

August 2013
U.S. Fire Administration

Mission Statement

We provide national leadership to foster a solid 

foundation for our fi re and emergency services 

stakeholders in prevention, preparedness, and 

response.
Firefighter Fatalities 

in the United States in 2012

Prepared by

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. Fire Administration

National Fire Data Center

and

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

www.firehero.org

Cover Photo/Brad Cowan, West Webster Fire District, New York
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................... 1

Background................................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 2

Who is a Firefighter? ................................................................................................................... 2

What Constitutes an On-duty Fatality? ........................................................................................ 2

Sources of Initial Notification...................................................................................................... 3

Procedure for Including a Fatality in the Study ........................................................................... 3

2012 Findings............................................................................................................................. 5

Career, Volunteer and Wildland Agency Deaths.......................................................................... 6

Gender........................................................................................................................................ 7

Multiple Firefighter Fatality Incidents.......................................................................................... 7

Wildland Firefighting Deaths ...................................................................................................... 7

Type of Duty .............................................................................................................................. 9

Fireground Operations...............................................................................................................10

Type of Fireground Activity .......................................................................................................10

Fixed Property Use for Structural Firefighting Deaths ................................................................11

Responding/Returning ..............................................................................................................11

Training .....................................................................................................................................11

Nonfire Emergencies..................................................................................................................12

After the Incident.......................................................................................................................12

Cause of Fatal Injury.................................................................................................................13

Stress or Overexertion................................................................................................................13

Vehicle Crashes ..........................................................................................................................14

Lost or Disoriented.....................................................................................................................16

Caught or Trapped......................................................................................................................16

Collapse......................................................................................................................................17

Struck by Object ........................................................................................................................17

Fall .............................................................................................................................................18

Other .........................................................................................................................................18

Nature of Fatal Injury...............................................................................................................19

Firefighter Ages........................................................................................................................ 20

Deaths by Time of Injury .........................................................................................................21

Firefighter Fatality Incidents by Month of Year.......................................................................21

State and Region ...................................................................................................................... 22

Analysis of Urban/Rural/Suburban Patterns in Firefighter Fatalities................................... 26

Appendix A .............................................................................................................................. 27

Appendix B .............................................................................................................................. 56

Acronyms................................................................................................................................. 63
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 1

Acknowledgments

This study of firefighter fatalities would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of many members of the fire service across the United States. Members of individual fire 

departments, chief fire officers, wildland fire service organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service 

(USFS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs (BIA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), as well as the U.S. Department of 

Justice (DOJ), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and many others contributed important information to this report. 

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) was responsible for compilation of a large 

portion of the data used in this report and the incident narrative summaries found in Appendix 

A. Their cooperation and work toward reducing firefighter deaths is gratefully acknowledged.

The ultimate objective of this effort is to reduce the number of firefighter deaths through an increased awareness and understanding of their causes and how they can be prevented. Firefighting, 

rescue and other types of emergency operations are essential activities in an inherently dangerous 

profession, and unfortunate tragedies do occur. These are the risks all firefighters accept every 

time they respond to an emergency incident. However, the risks can be greatly reduced through 

efforts to improve training, emergency scene operations, and firefighter health and safety. 

Background

For 36 years, USFA has tracked the number of firefighter fatalities and conducted an annual analysis. Through the collection of information on the causes of firefighter deaths, USFA is able to focus 

on specific problems and direct efforts toward finding solutions to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities in the future. This information is also used to measure the effectiveness of current 

programs directed toward firefighter health and safety.

Several programs have been funded by USFA in response to this annual report. For example, USFA 

has sponsored significant work in the areas of general emergency vehicle operations safety, fire 

department tanker/tender operations safety, firefighter incident scene rehabilitation, and roadside 

incident safety. The data developed for this report are also widely used in other firefighter fatality 

prevention efforts.

In addition to the analysis, USFA, working in partnership with NFFF, develops a list of all on-duty 

firefighter fatalities and associated documentation each year. If certain criteria are met, the fallen 

firefighter’s next of kin, as well as members of the individual’s fire department, are invited to the 

annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend Service. The service is held at the National 

Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, during Fire Prevention Week in 

October of each year. Additional information regarding the memorial service can be found at 

www.firehero.org or by calling NFFF at 301-447-1365. 

Other resources and information regarding firefighter fatalities, including current fatality notices, 

the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial database, and links to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit 

(PSOB) Program can be found at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 2

Introduction

This report continues a series of annual studies by USFA of on-duty firefighter fatalities in the U.S.

The specific objective of this study is to identify all on-duty firefighter fatalities that occurred in the 

U.S. and its protectorates in 2012 and to analyze the circumstances surrounding each occurrence. 

The study is intended to help identify approaches that could reduce the number of firefighter deaths 

in future years.

Who is a Firefighter?

For the purpose of this study, the term firefighter covers all members of organized fire departments 

with assigned fire suppression duties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories 

of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands, and Guam. It includes career and volunteer firefighters; full-time public safety officers acting as firefighters; fire police; state, territory and federal government fire service personnel, including wildland firefighters; and privately employed firefighters, including employees of contract fire 

departments and trained members of industrial fire brigades, whether full- or part-time. It also includes contract personnel working as firefighters or assigned to work in direct support of fire service 

organizations (i.e., air-tanker crews).

Under this definition, the study includes not only local and municipal firefighters, but also seasonal 

and full-time employees of USFS, NPS, BLM, BIA, FWS and state wildland agencies. The definition 

also includes prison inmates serving on firefighting crews; firefighters employed by other governmental agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy; military personnel performing assigned 

fire suppression activities; and civilian firefighters working at military installations.

What Constitutes an On-duty Fatality?

On-duty fatalities include any injury or illness sustained while on-duty that proves fatal. The term 

“on-duty” refers to being involved in operations at the scene of an emergency, whether it is a fire or 

nonfire incident; responding to or returning from an incident; performing other officially assigned 

duties such as training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigations, court testimony, 

or fundraising; and being on call, under orders, or on standby duty except at the individual’s home 

or place of business. An individual who experiences a heart attack or other fatal injury at home while 

he or she prepares to respond to an emergency is considered on-duty when the response begins. A 

firefighter who becomes ill while performing fire department duties and suffers a heart attack shortly 

after arriving home or at another location may be considered on-duty since the inception of the heart 

attack occurred while the firefighter was on-duty.

On Dec. 15, 2003, the President of the United States signed into law the Hometown Heroes Survivors 

Benefit Act of 2003. After being signed by the President, the act became Public Law 108-182. The law 

presumes that a heart attack or stroke is in the line of duty if the firefighter was engaged in nonroutine 

stressful or strenuous physical activity while on-duty and the firefighter becomes ill while on-duty or 

within 24 hours after engaging in such activity. The full text of the law is available at http://frwebgate.

access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ182.108.pdf.

The inclusion criteria for this study have been affected by this change in the law. Previous to Dec. 15, 

2003, firefighters who became ill as the result of a heart attack or stroke after going off-duty needed 

to register a complaint of not feeling well while still on-duty in order to be included in this study. For 

firefighter fatalities after Dec. 15, 2003, firefighters will be included in this report if they became ill 

as the result of a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of a training activity or emergency response. 

Firefighters who became ill after going off-duty where the activities while on-duty were limited to 

tasks that did not involve physical or mental stress will not be included.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 3

A fatality may be caused directly by an accidental or intentional injury in either emergency or 

nonemergency circumstances, or it may be attributed to an occupationally related fatal illness. A 

common example of a fatal illness incurred on-duty is a heart attack. Fatalities attributed to occupational illnesses also include a communicable disease contracted while on-duty that proved fatal 

when the disease could be attributed to a documented occupational exposure. 

Firefighter fatalities are included in this report even when death is considerably delayed after the 

original incident. When the incident and the death occur in different years, the analysis counts 

the fatality as having occurred in the year in which the incident took place. 

There is no established mechanism for identifying fatalities that result from illnesses such as cancer that develop over long periods of time and which may be related to occupational exposure to 

hazardous materials or toxic products of combustion. It has proved to be very difficult to provide 

a complete evaluation of an occupational illness as a causal factor in firefighter deaths due to the 

following limitations: the exposure of firefighters to toxic hazards is not sufficiently tracked; the 

often delayed long-term effects of such toxic hazard exposures; and the exposures firefighters may 

receive while off-duty. 

Sources of Initial Notification

As an integral part of its ongoing program to collect and analyze fire data, USFA solicits information on firefighter fatalities directly from the fire service and from a wide range of other sources. 

These sources include the PSOB Program administered by the DOJ, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the 

U.S. Department of Defense, the National Interagency Fire Center, and other federal agencies. 

USFA receives notification of some deaths directly from fire departments, as well as from such fire 

service organizations as the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association 

of Fire Fighters, NFPA, the National Volunteer Fire Council, state fire marshals, state fire training 

organizations, other state and local organizations, fire service Internet sites, news services, and fire 

service publications. 

Procedure for Including a Fatality in the Study

In most cases, after notification of a fatal incident, initial telephone contact is made with local 

authorities by USFA to verify the incident, its location, jurisdiction, and the fire department or 

agency involved. Further information about the deceased firefighter and the incident may be obtained from the chief of the fire department, designee over the phone, or by other forms of data 

collection. After basic information is collected, a notice of the firefighter fatality is posted at the 

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial site in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and the USFA website, and 

a notice of the fatality is transmitted by email to a large list of fire service organizations and fire 

service members.

Information that is routinely requested from fire departments that have experienced a fatality 

includes National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)-1 (incident) and NFIRS-3 (fire service 

casualty) reports; the fire department’s own incident and internal investigation reports; copies 

of death certificates and autopsy results; special investigative reports; law enforcement reports; 

photographs and diagrams; and newspaper or media accounts of the incident. Information on the 

incident may also be gathered from NFPA or NIOSH reports.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 4

After obtaining this information, a determination is made as to whether the death qualifies as 

an on-duty firefighter fatality according to the previously described criteria. With the exception 

of firefighter deaths after Dec. 15, 2003, the same criteria were used for this study as in previous 

annual studies. Additional information may be requested by USFA, either through follow-up with 

the fire department directly, from state vital records offices, or other agencies. The final determination as to whether a fatality qualifies as an on-duty death for inclusion in this statistical analysis 

is made by USFA. The NFFF criteria as a line-of-duty death (LODD) for inclusion in the annual 

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is made by NFFF.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 5

Photo/Clifford White (2010), Neptune Aviation Tanker 11

2012 Findings

Eighty-one firefighters died while on-duty in 2012, down by two deaths from the previous year. 

The 2012 total includes 12 firefighters who died under circumstances that were part of inclusion 

criteria changes resulting from the Hometown Heroes Act. When not including these fatalities for 

the purposes of a trend analysis, a 2012 total of 69 firefighter fatalities, while somewhat above the 

64 total from 2011, is the second lowest number of annual firefighter losses over the past 36 years. 

Moreover, there have been three years in a row of record-low losses with 72 such deaths in 2010 

being the third lowest on record. 

As mentioned above, an analysis of multiyear firefighter fatality trends needs to acknowledge the 

changes from the Hometown Heroes Act; therefore, some graphs and charts either will or will 

not indicate the Hometown Heroes portion of the total. However, this does not diminish the sacrifices made by any firefighter who dies while on-duty or the sacrifices made by his or her family 

and peers.

In the same light, when conducting multiyear comparisons of firefighter fatalities in this report, 

the losses that were the result of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 

11, 2001, are sometimes also set apart for illustrative purposes. This action is by no means a minimization of the supreme sacrifice made by these firefighters.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 6

Figure 1. On-duty Firefighter Fatalities (1977–2012).

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1977

19781979

1980

1981

19821983

1984

19851986

1987

198819891990

1991

19921993199419951996

1997

199819992000

2001

20022003200420052006

2007

20082009

2010

2011

2012

157

172

126

140

136

126

113

119

126

121

131

136

119

108108

77

82

106

103

100

100

93

114

105

452

101

Year

Number of Deaths

112

108

99

92

107

109

79

73

64

69

plus 1 Hometown Heroplus 11 Hometown Heroesplus 16 Hometown Heroesplus 15 Hometown Heroesplus 13 Hometown Heroesplus 12 Hometown Heroesplus 13 Hometown Heroesplus 15 Hometown Heroesplus 19 Hometown Heroesplus 12 Hometown Heroes

Figure 2. Firefighter Fatalities per 100,000 Fires.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

1996

1997

199819992000

2001

20022003200420052006

2007

20082009

2010

2011

Year

Number of Deaths

2.73

3.34

2.96

4.50

3.34

3.29

3.73

3.79

3.42

2.81

2.98

3.53

3.86 

2.97

2.33

2.51*

*2012 ratio will be included in the 2013 report.

Career, Volunteer and Wildland Agency Deaths

In 2012, firefighter fatalities included 28 career firefighters, 42 volunteer firefighters, and 11 parttime or full-time members of wildland or wildland contract fire agencies (Figure 3). 

Figure 3. Career, Volunteer and Wildland Agency Deaths (2012).

Firefighter Fatalities

81 Total Deaths

Volunteer

42 Deaths

Wildland Agency

11 Deaths

Career

28 Deaths 

Fulltime

3 Deaths

Parttime or

Seasonal

4 Deaths 

Other

(Air National Guard)

4 Deaths

Rural Fire

Departments

21 Deaths 

Urban/Suburban

Fire Departments

21 Deaths 

Rural Fire

Departments

6 Deaths

Urban/Suburban

Fire Departments

22 Deaths 
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 7

Gender

Of the 81 firefighters who died while on-duty in 2012, 80 were male and one was female.

Multiple Firefighter Fatality Incidents

The 81 deaths in 2012 resulted from a total of 75 fatal incidents including four multiple firefighter 

fatality incidents. There were three firefighter fatality incidents where two firefighters were killed 

in each incident: a shooting, a structural collapse, and an aircraft crash on a wildland incident. 

There was one other multiple fatality incident, another aircraft crash which claimed the lives of 

four Air National Guard aircrew firefighters.

Table 1. Multiple Firefighter Fatality Incidents.

Year Number of Incidents Total Number of Deaths

2012 4 10

2011 3 6

2010 4 8

2009 6 13

2008 5 18

2007 7 21

2006 6 17

2005 4 10

2004 3 6

2003 7 20

Wildland Firefighting Deaths

In 2012, 15 firefighters were killed during activities involving brush, grass or wildland firefighting. 

This total includes part-time and seasonal wildland firefighters, full-time wildland firefighters, 

and municipal or volunteer firefighters whose deaths are related to a wildland fire (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Firefighter Fatalities Related to Wildland Firefighting (2003–2012).

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2003

2004

20052006

2007

20082009

2010

2011

2012

15

30

21

19

22

11 12

10

26

17

Year

Number of Deaths
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 8

Table 2. Firefighter Deaths Associated with Wildland Firefighting.

Year Total Number 

of Deaths

Number of

Fatal Incidents

Number of Firefighters Killed 

in Multiple-death Incidents

2012 15 11 6

2011 10 9 2

2010 11 11 0

2009 16 13 5

2008 26 15 14

2007 11 11 0

2006 22 13 13

2005 19 15 6

2004 21 21 0

2003 30 22 10

In 2012, there were two multiple firefighter fatality incidents related to wildland firefighting, killing six, all related to aircraft crashes. 

Table 3. Wildland Firefighting Aircraft Deaths.

Year Total Number of Deaths Number of Fatal Incidents

2012 6 2

2011 0 0

2010 0 0

2009 5 3

2008 16 4

2007 1 1

2006 8 3

2005 6 2

2004 3 3

2003 7 4
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 9

Type of Duty

Activities related to emergency incidents resulted in the deaths of 45 firefighters in 2012 (Figure 

5). This includes all firefighters who died responding to an emergency or at an emergency scene, 

returning from an emergency incident, and during other emergency-related activities. Nonemergency activities accounted for 36 fatalities. Nonemergency duties include training, administrative 

activities, performing other functions that are not related to an emergency incident, and postincident fatalities where the firefighter does not experience the illness or injury during the emergency.

Figure 5. Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty (2012).

Emergency

55.6%

(45)

Nonemergency

44.4%

(36)

A multiyear historical perspective relating to the percentage of firefighter deaths that occurred 

during emergency duty is presented in Table 4. 

Table 4. Emergency Duty Firefighter Deaths.

Year Percentage of All Deaths Percentage of All Deaths Excluding 

Hometown Heroes

2012 55.6 65.2

2011 54.2 70.3

2010 55.2 66.7

2009 63.3 82.2

2008 63.5 70.0

2007 64.4 72.4

2006 57.5 66.3

2005 52.1 60.6

2004 68.9 75.9

2003 69.0 69.6

The number of deaths by type of duty being performed in 2012 is shown in Table 5 and presented 

graphically in Figure 6. As has been the case for most years, fireground duties are the most common type of duty for firefighters killed while on-duty.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 10

Table 5. Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty (2012).

Type of Duty Number of Deaths

Training 8

Other On-Duty 16

Responding 15

Fireground Ops 22

On-scene Nonfire 6

After 12

Returning 2

Total 81

Figure 6. Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty (2012).

0 10 20 30 40

Returning

After the Incident

On-scene Nonfire

Fireground Operations

Responding

Other On-duty

Training 8

16

15

22

6

12

2

Number of Deaths

Fireground Operations

Of the 22 firefighters killed during fireground operations in 2012, 13 were at the scene of a structure 

fire, one at the scene of a vehicle fire, and eight others were at the scene of a wildland or outside fire. 

The average age of the firefighters killed during fireground operations was 45. Eight of the deaths 

were from volunteer fire departments, six were career, and eight were wildland (or wildland-related).

Type of Fireground Activity

Table 6 shows the types of fireground activities in which firefighters were engaged at the time they 

sustained their fatal injuries or illnesses. This total includes all firefighting duties, such as wildland 

firefighting and structural firefighting.

Table 6. Type of Activity (2012).

Advance Hose Lines 13

Support 3

Incident Command 2

Water Supply 1

Scene Safety 1

Unknown 2
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 11

Fixed Property Use for Structural Firefighting Deaths

There were 13 fatalities in 2012 where firefighters became ill or injured while on the scene of a 

structure fire. Table 7 shows the distribution of these deaths by fixed property use. 

Table 7. Structural Firefighting Deaths by Fixed Property Use in 2012.

Residential 6

Commercial 6

Other 1

Responding/Returning 

In 2012, 17 firefighters died while responding to or returning from 16 emergency incidents. 

Fifteen of the firefighters died while responding to incidents and two, one heart attack and one 

vehicle collision involving fire apparatus, died while returning from an incident.

Four of the 15 firefighters killed while responding to an incident died from heart attacks and one 

from a stroke. 

Seven of the firefighters who died while responding to incidents were killed by trauma caused by 

motor vehicle collisions, twice as many as the previous year, including four in privately owned 

vehicles (POVs) and three in fire department apparatus. 

While responding to an incident, one firefighter was killed when he was struck by a falling tree 

and two firefighters were shot and killed as they arrived at the scene of an intentionally set fire. 

Of the four firefighters killed while responding in fire department apparatus, two were wearing 

seat restraints and two were not (both of whom were fully ejected from the apparatus). Of the 

four firefighters killed in their POVs, one was wearing a seat restraint, two were not (one of these 

fully ejected from the vehicle), and one is unknown. 

Table 8. Firefighter Deaths While Responding to or Returning From an Incident.

Year Number of Firefighter Deaths

2012 17

2011 11

2010 16

2009 15

2008 24

2007 26

2006 15

2005 22

2004 23

2003 36

Training

In 2012, eight firefighters died while engaged in training activities. Four of the deaths were due to 

heart attacks, one from a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and one from a heat-related injury. One 

firefighter fell during a training activity at the fire station that involved climbing the aerial ladder, 

and one firefighter drowned while participating in dive rescue training in a man-made lake at a 

local quarry. 
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 12

Table 9. Firefighter Fatalities While Engaged in Training.

Year Number of Firefighter Deaths

2012 8

2011 8

2010 12

2009 10

2008 12

2007 11

2006 9

2005 14

2004 13

2003 12

Nonfire Emergencies

In 2012, 15 firefighters were killed where the type of emergency duty was not related to a fire. 

Nine of the 15 were responding to (five firefighters) or at the scene of motor vehicle accidents 

(four firefighters). Of the four firefighters killed while operating at the scene of a motor vehicle accident, two died from heart attacks and two were struck by other vehicles crashing into the scene.

Two firefighters were killed in separate instances where firefighters dismounted from their vehicles to evaluate roadways that had become blocked by treefall during severe weather events and 

then were themselves struck by falling trees.

One firefighter died from a heart attack while at the scene of a false alarm in a commercial structure. Another firefighter died from traumatic injuries suffered when the apparatus he was riding 

in crashed off the roadway while returning from an incident involving the report of a carbon 

monoxide detector sounding at a residence.

One firefighter died from a heart attack after returning home from a drowning call where he responded to the station and worked communications. Another firefighter died at home from a heart 

attack within 24 hours of working several emergency calls.

After the Incident

In 2012, 12 firefighters died after the conclusion of their on-duty activities. Ten of the deaths were 

due to heart attacks. In one case, the cause of death was heat exhaustion, and in another case the 

firefighter had been diagnosed with a thoracic aneurysm. All 12 of the fatalities were classified as 

Hometown Heroes where no symptom or complaint of illness became evident or was reported 

during duty. 
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 13

Cause of Fatal Injury

The term “cause of injury” refers to the action, lack of action, or circumstances that directly resulted in the fatal injury. The term “nature of injury” refers to the medical cause of the fatal injury 

or illness, which is often referred to as the physiological cause of death. A fatal injury is usually 

the result of a chain of events, the first of which is recorded as the cause.

Figure 7 shows the distribution of deaths by cause of fatal injury or illness in 2012.

Figure 7. Fatalities by Cause of Fatal Injury (2012).

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Contact With

Caught/Trapped

Fall

Collapse

Other

Struck By

Vehicle Collision

Stress/Overexertion 45 (55.6%)

18 (22.2%)

7 (8.6%)

4 (4.9%)

4 (4.9%)

1 (1.2%)

1 (1.2%)

1 (1.2%)

Number of Fatalities

Stress or Overexertion

Firefighting is extremely strenuous physical work and can be one of the most physically demanding of human activities. 

Stress or overexertion is a general category that includes all firefighter deaths that are cardiac or 

cerebrovascular in nature such as heart attacks, strokes, and other events such as extreme climatic 

thermal exposure. Classification of a firefighter fatality in this cause of fatal injury category does 

not necessarily indicate that a firefighter was in poor physical condition. 

In 2012, 45 firefighters died as a result of stress or overexertion:

•	 Thirty-nine firefighters died due to heart attacks.

•	 Three firefighters died due to a CVA.

•	 Two firefighters died from heat exhaustion.

•	 One firefighter died from an aneurysm.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 14

Table 10. Deaths Caused by Stress or Overexertion.

Year Number Percent of Fatalities Hometown Heroes

2012 45 55.5 12

2011 50 60.2 19

2010 55 63.2 15

2009 50 54.9 13

2008 54 45.0 12

2007 55 51.4 13

2006 55 53.9 15

2005 62 53.9 16

2004 66 55.5 11

2003 53 46.9* 1

*Includes Hometown Heroes: one in December 2003 and an average of 14 for the years 2004-2012.

Vehicle Crashes

In 2012, 18 firefighters died as the result of 14 vehicle crashes, six involving POVs, six involving 

apparatus, and six from two separate incidents involving aircraft. 

•	 One firefighter and members of his fire department were dispatched to the report of a vehicle 

crash with injuries on a local interstate highway. The firefighter responded in his personal vehicle, 

a passenger car. The vehicle involved in the original crash was in the median of the highway. The 

firefighter responded through an on-ramp but needed to cross over the active lanes of the highway 

to access the emergency scene. As he attempted to cross the highway, his vehicle was struck by a 

tractor-trailer truck at the driver’s side door. The firefighter was transported to a local hospital but 

was pronounced dead later due to a traumatic head injury; he was not wearing a seatbelt at the 

time of the crash. 

•	 One firefighter was responding to his fire station for a structure fire in his personal vehicle, a 2009 

Jeep Grand Cherokee. As he crested a hill during his response, his vehicle became airborne and 

landed hard on the roadway. The firefighter lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. He was not 

wearing a seatbelt and died from injuries sustained as he was ejected from the vehicle through the 

windshield. The law enforcement report on the crash cited excessive speed as a factor in the crash.

•	 One firefighter was responding to the fire station in a personal vehicle and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and found 

the firefighter and his passenger trapped in their vehicle. The firefighter, who was not wearing a 

seatbelt, died as the result of the blunt force trauma injuries he received in the crash. 

•	 One firefighter and other members of his fire department responded to a mutual aid structure fire 

with a tanker (tender). Upon their arrival on the scene, the tanker discharged its load of water 

into a dump tank. The firefighter was positioned at the rear of the tanker and operated the unit’s 

dump valve. When the driver saw that the pump panel indicator lights showed an empty tank, 

he departed the scene to refill. As the tanker was en route to the fill site, the driver encountered 

icy roadway conditions, the driver lost control of the vehicle, and the apparatus crashed. The icy 

road conditions were attributed to water spillage from fire apparatus responding to the original 

structure fire. Unbeknownst to the driver of the tanker, the firefighter had remained on the back 

step of the vehicle while it traveled to the fill site. When the tanker crashed, the firefighter was 

ejected and struck the roadway, sustaining fatal traumatic injuries. Speed was cited as a contributing factor in the crash.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 15

•	 One firefighter was responding to a report of a carbon monoxide detector sounding at a residence 

as a front seat passenger in a 2008 Ferrara pumper. As the unit returned from the incident, the 

right wheels of the apparatus left the roadway and the unit slid into the ditch, partially due to a 

soft shoulder, and struck a utility tower. The firefighter was directly impacted by the collision and 

suffered massive head and chest trauma. He was killed instantly. The firefighter was wearing his 

seatbelt at the time of the crash.

•	 One firefighter was a shift commander and was also assigned as the department’s communications 

officer. One of the duties of the communications officer involved attendance at regularly scheduled 

operations committee meetings at a regional dispatch center. These meetings were considered 

on-duty and the firefighter was paid for his time if he was off-duty. As he drove home from the 

meeting on his personal motorcycle, the firefighter was involved in a crash when another driver 

pulled onto the roadway directly in front him. The cause of death was trauma related to the crash.

•	 Two aircrew firefighters were conducting air tanker operations. Their aircraft was a Lockheed 

P2V-7. The aircraft crashed while attempting the second fire retardant drop of the day. Both pilots 

were fatally injured. The investigation into the circumstances of the crash has not been completed.

•	 One firefighter and his Type 5 engine crew were assigned to the Montezuma Fire near Sells, Arizona. The firefighter was riding in the right front passenger seat of the engine, a 2009 Chevrolet 

5500 with a 500-gallon tank. While conducting active fire operations, the engine veered off the 

right side of the highway, overcorrected, crossed back over the roadway, flipped forward, and 

landed with the weight on the hood and cab. Then the engine bounced, landing on its wheels, 

and coasted back across the highway. The firefighter received fatal injuries in the crash when the 

cab was crushed; he was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. Factors cited in the crash 

included driver distraction, driver inexperience, the condition of the roadway, and vehicle characteristics.

•	 A six-member aircrew was operating a C-130 Hercules aircraft on a wildland firefighting mission. 

The aircraft was equipped with a modular firefighting system with a capacity of 3,000 gallons of 

fire retardant. The aircraft had successfully conducted a fire retardant drop on the fire and it was 

in the process of making a second drop when the crash occurred. As the aircraft made its run, 

it encountered turbulence from a thunderstorm and crashed. The four aircrew firefighters of the 

flight deck were killed, and the two aircrew firefighters operating the firefighting system in the 

rear of the aircraft were injured but survived. A report concluded that all four firefighters died 

during the crash impact and not during the post-crash fire.

•	 One firefighter was a passenger in a 1999 Pierce fire engine responding to a motor vehicle crash. 

The driver of the engine lost control on a curve, ran off of the right side of the road, and impacted 

several trees and a utility pole. Both right side doors were removed by the force of the crash. The 

firefighter was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal traumatic injuries.

•	 One firefighter was on his way to administer a physical abilities test to a new paramedic firefighter 

candidate. He was operating his department-assigned vehicle, a 2004 Ford Explorer. As the firefighter drove north on a local interstate highway, another vehicle that was also northbound lost 

control and struck the fire department vehicle, causing it to roll. The firefighter was wearing his 

seatbelt but sustained fatal traumatic injuries in the crash.

•	 One junior firefighter at age 17, the youngest firefighter killed in 2012, was a passenger in a pickup 

truck driven by a friend as he responded to an outside fire in a wooded area. The driver lost control of the pickup on a curve, struck a telephone pole, and the vehicle ended up on its roof. The 

passenger side of the vehicle was crushed. The junior firefighter received fatal injuries in the crash. 

Both the driver and junior firefighter were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash. Excessive speed was cited as a factor in the crash.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 16

•	 One firefighter was the driver and sole occupant of a tanker (tender) responding to a wildland 

fire. As the firefighter approached an intersection, he swerved and applied the brakes to avoid 

some traffic control posts in the roadway. The tanker began to roll and rotate before striking 

a utility pole. The vehicle continued to roll and struck a second utility pole, ejecting the firefighter from the vehicle. As the vehicle came to a final resting position, the apparatus water 

tank came off of the frame of the truck and landed on top of the firefighter. The firefighter was 

not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and 

died from his injuries.

•	 One firefighter was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 

another firefighter responding to a crash involving a 

tractor-trailer. For reasons that are not clear, the vehicle left the roadway and rolled. There are conflicting 

reports regarding the firefighter’s location after the 

crash — he may have been ejected, but suffered fatal 

head and back injuries. 

Figure 8. Firefighter Fatalities in Vehicle Collisions (Including Aircraft).

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2003

2004

20052006

2007

20082009

2010

2011

2012

33

21

25

19

27 28

16

5

18

11

Number of Deaths

Lost or Disoriented

For the second year in a row, no firefighters died in 2012 by becoming lost or disoriented inside 

of a burning structure.

Caught or Trapped

One firefighter was killed in 2012 when he became caught or trapped inside of a 2 1/2-story wood 

frame residential structure when fire conditions changed rapidly, and the fire overcame his position. While recognizing the tragedy of even a single occurrence, this is the lowest number for this 

particular cause of firefighter deaths in a single year on record. Moreover, there have been an average of seven firefighters lost each year by becoming caught or trapped over the past decade (2003-

2012) and an average of almost 17 deaths each year during the decade before that (1993-2002). 

This classification covers firefighters trapped in wildland and structural fires who were unable to 

escape due to rapid fire progression and the byproducts of smoke, heat, toxic gas and flame. This 

classification may also include firefighters who drowned and those who were trapped and crushed. 

In 2012, two of three fire chiefs 

killed in vehicle collisions were 

not wearing a seatbelt. Both 

were operating their POV. The 

third, operating a fire department 

vehicle, was wearing a seatbelt.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 17

Collapse

Four firefighters died in 2012 as a result of structural collapses in three separate incidents. Over the 

past decade, the average number of firefighters killed per year from a structural collapse as a cause of 

fatal injury has been four.

•	 Members of a fire department were dispatched to a mutual-aid structure fire in a movie theater. 

Upon arrival on-scene, firefighters were directed to the rear of the structure, where they advanced 

an attack line into the rear of the theater. A ladder pipe master stream was flowed onto the structure from the front of the building. The roof of the structure collapsed, trapping three firefighters 

in the debris, one of whom died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. 

•	 Three firefighters advanced a handline into the structure of a working restaurant fire. Conditions 

changed rapidly, and one of the firefighters pushed the other two toward the exit prior to being 

overcome by fire progress himself. The roof of the restaurant collapsed, and firefighters were not 

able to rescue him.

•	 Two firefighters along with other members of a ladder company were assigned to work at a multiple alarm fire in a five-story building. Once on-scene, ladder pipe operations were set up, and 

firefighters were assigned to check for fire extension in an exposure building. A catastrophic collapse of the fire building occurred, and the exposure building was struck by falling debris. Four 

firefighters were trapped in the collapse. Other firefighters rescued the trapped firefighters from 

the building, but two did not survive their injuries. The cause of death for both firefighters was 

mechanical asphyxia.

Struck by Object 

In six incidents, being struck by an object was the cause of seven fatal firefighter injuries in 2012. 

Over the past ten years, the average annual loss for this cause category has been seven firefighter 

deaths per year. 

•	 One firefighter and members of his fire company were dispatched to a vehicle crash on a local 

interstate highway. The weather at the time was a mix of snow and hail. A vehicle passing by the 

incident spun out of control and slid into the area where responders and others were standing, 

striking and killing the firefighter.

•	 One firefighter and his engine company were dispatched to a gas leak that resulted from a vehicle 

that struck a gas meter. The apparatus was parked to shield the scene from passing traffic and the 

emergency lights of the apparatus and a law enforcement vehicle on-scene were in operation. All 

responders were wearing high-visibility safety vests. As they stood near the scene, several of the 

responders were struck by a passenger van, killing one. The van that struck the three responders 

made no effort to brake and may have sped up prior to the impact. The driver of the van faced 

second-degree murder charges and other charges related to the incident. 

•	 One firefighter was responding to a structure fire in his personal vehicle. The area was undergoing 

severe weather including high winds at the time. During the response, the firefighter came upon 

a vehicle that was stopped and had been hit by a falling tree. Without warning, additional trees 

fell, striking and killing the firefighter.

•	 One firefighter, part of a wildland engine crew, was killed on the fire line when a large cedar tree 

fell and struck her. 

•	 Firefighters were dispatched to a report of a timber fire in their area with further reports that the 

fire was approaching a residence. One firefighter was the passenger in the first unit arriving onscene. He jumped out of the apparatus to assist the driver while the apparatus was repositioned. 

As the apparatus moved backward, the firefighter was struck and run over by the vehicle. 
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 18

•	 Two firefighters responded along with others to the 

report of a fire. An individual had intentionally set 

a vehicle on fire, and the fire had spread to a house. 

As firefighters arrived on the scene, they were fired 

upon by the occupant of the home. Two firefighters 

were struck and killed. One had arrived on the firstdue engine and the other in an ambulance. 

Fall

One firefighter died in 2012 as the result of a fall, well 

below the 10-year average of 4.7 deaths per year.

•	 Firefighters were participating in a training activity at the fire station that involved climbing 

the aerial ladder of a 2011 Pierce Quantum 105HD ladder truck. The aerial was fully extended 

at a climbing angle of approximately 65 degrees. As one firefighter climbed the ladder for 

the second time during the session, he accidently fell backward from the tip of the ladder, 

tumbled down within the rails of the ladder, then off to the right side, striking the right rear 

stabilizer (outrigger), and landing on the pavement. He sustained massive traumatic injuries 

as a result of the fall.

Other

Four firefighters died in 2012 of a cause that is not categorized above.

•	 One firefighter and his ladder company were dispatched to the report of an apartment fire. 

When they arrived on the scene, the firefighter walked toward the structure and then suddenly collapsed and shortly thereafter died. The death was caused by a pulmonary embolism. 

•	 One firefighter was participating in dive rescue training in a man-made lake in a local quarry. 

He was performing the second dive of the day when he surfaced, indicated that he was in 

distress, and went under water. The diving instructor recovered him from a depth of approximately 60 feet. The autopsy reported drowning as the cause of death.

•	 One firefighter became sick at the scene of a vehicle fire but did not request treatment at that 

time. Later in the day, he began having trouble breathing and became unconscious. After being treated in two hospitals, he passed away from a cause still to be determined.

•	 One firefighter was discovered deceased in his firehouse bunk. His death was attributed to 

natural causes. No other details were reported.

Since 1996, there have been 

17 firefighters killed where the 

object that they were “struck 

by” was a bullet. In four of these 

incidents, taking six firefighters’ 

lives, an intentionally set fire was 

used as bait to draw responders 

into a cowardly and deadly trap.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 19

Nature of Fatal Injury

Figure 9 shows the distribution of the 81 firefighter deaths that occurred in 2012 by the medical 

nature of the fatal injury or illness. For heart attacks, Figure 10 shows the type of duty involved.

Figure 9. Fatalities by Nature of Fatal Injury (2012).

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Other

Crushed

Violence

Heat Exhaustion

CVA

Ashyxiation

Trauma

Heart Attack 39 (48.1%)

Number of Deaths

24 (29.6%)

5 (6.2%)

3 (3.7%)

2 (2.5%)

2 (2.5%)

2 (2.5%)

4 (4.9%)

Figure 10. Heart Attacks by Type of Duty (2012).

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Other On-duty

Returning

On-scene Nonfire

Responding

Training

On-scene Fire

After 10

Number of Deaths

6

4

4

3

1

11

Heart attacks: As the perennial leading nature of fatal injury for firefighter fatalities 

in the U.S., in 2012 when not including Hometown Heroes, there were 29, the lowest 

year on record and well below the 20-year average of 40 per year.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 20

Firefighter Ages

Figure 11 shows the percentage distribution of firefighter deaths by age (at the time of injury) and nature of 

the fatal injury. Table 11 provides a count of firefighter 

fatalities by age and the nature of the fatal injury.

Younger firefighters were more likely to have died as 

a result of traumatic injuries, such as injuries from an 

apparatus accident or becoming caught or trapped during firefighting operations. Stress-related deaths are rare 

below the 31 to 35 years of age category and, when they 

occur, often include underlying medical conditions. 

Figure 11. Fatalities by Age and Nature (2012).

0

20

40

60

80

100

61 and

over

Under 21 21 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 35 36 to 40 41 to 45 46 to 50 51 to 60

Trauma/Asphyxiation

Heart Attack/CVA/Other

100%

67%

0%

67%67%

60%

40%

33%33%

100%

33%

0%

65%

100%

35%

75%

25%

0%

Firefighter Ages

Table 11. Firefighter Ages and Nature of Fatal Injury (2012).

Age Range Heart Attack/CVA/Other Trauma/Asphyxiation Total

under 21 0 6

21 to 25 1 2

26 to 30 0 3

31 to 35 1 2

36 to 40 2 4

41 to 45 2 3

46 to 50 15 5

51 to 60 15 8

61 and over 12 0

Four of the six firefighters killed 

in 2012 who were under the 

age of 21 died in motor vehicle 

accidents while responding to or 

returning from an incident (one 

Engine and three POVs). Two and 

possibly three of the four were 

not wearing seatbelts.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 21

Deaths by Time of Injury

For 2012, the distribution of firefighter deaths according to the time of day when the fatal injury 

occurred is illustrated in Figure 12. The time of fatal injury for three firefighters was either unknown or not reported. 

Figure 12. Fatalities by Time of Fatal Injury (2012).

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Unknown

2300 - 0059

2100 - 2259

1900 - 2059

1700 - 1859

1500 - 1659

1300 - 1459

1100 - 1259

0900 - 1059

0700 - 0859

0500 - 0659

0300 - 0459

0100 - 0259 1

4

6

6

11

9

7

15

6

3

3

6

4

Number of Deaths

Time

Firefighter Fatality Incidents by Month of Year

Figure 13 illustrates the 2012 firefighter fatalities by month of the year. 

Figure 13. Deaths by Month of Year (2012).

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January 8

7

7

3

6

10

7

5

7

7

4

10

Number of Deaths

Month of Year
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 22

State and Region

The distribution of firefighter deaths in 2012 by state is shown in Table 12. Firefighters based in 

31 states died in 2012.

The highest number of firefighter deaths, based on the location of the fire service organization in 

2012, occurred in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, with nine deaths each. New York and Texas 

had the next highest totals of firefighter fatalities in 2012, with six firefighter deaths each.

Table 12. Firefighter Fatalities by State by Location of Fire Service*

 (2012).

State Fatalities Percentage

CO 1 1.2

HI 1 1.2

AR 1 1.2

WY 1 1.2

IA 1 1.2

MS 1 1.2

AZ 1 1.2

NH 1 1.2

WA 1 1.2

NM 1 1.2

DE 1 1.2

NJ 1 1.2

ID 1 1.2

SC 1 1.2

ME 1 1.2

FL 2 2.5

IN 2 2.5

CT 2 2.5

MT 2 2.5

TN 2 2.5

MO 3 3.7

OH 3 3.7

MI 3 3.7

IL 4 4.9

VA 4 4.9

WI 4 4.9

CA 5 6.2

NY 6 7.4

TX 6 7.4

NC 9 11.1

PA 9 11.1

*

This list attributes the deaths according to the state in which the fire department or unit is based, as opposed to the state in which the 

death occurred. They are listed by those states for statistical purposes and for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the NETC. 

Due to rounding, percentage totals may not add up to 100.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 23

Figure 14. Firefighter Fatalities by Region (2012).
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 24

Figure 15. On-duty Firefighter Fatalities by Fire Department Location (2012).
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 25

Figure 16. On-duty Firefighter Fatalities by Incident Location (2012).
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 26

Analysis of Urban/Rural/Suburban Patterns 

in Firefighter Fatalities

The U.S. Census Bureau defines “urban” as a place having a population of at least 2,500 or lying 

within a designated urban area. “Rural” is defined as any community that is not urban. “Suburban” is not a census term but may be taken to refer to any place, urban or rural, that lies within 

a metropolitan area defined by the Census Bureau, but not within one of the central cities of that 

metropolitan area.

Fire department areas of responsibility do not always conform to the boundaries used by the 

Census Bureau. For example, fire departments organized by counties or special fire protection 

districts may have both urban and rural coverage areas. In such cases, where it may not be possible to characterize the entire coverage area of the fire department as rural or urban, firefighter 

deaths were listed as urban or rural based on the particular community or location in which the 

fatality occurred.

The following patterns were found for 2012 firefighter fatalities. These statistics are based on answers from the fire departments and, when no data from the departments were available, the data 

were based upon population and area served, as reported by the fire departments.

Table 13. Firefighter Deaths by Coverage Area Type (2012).

Urban/Suburban Rural Total

Firefighter Deaths 43 38 81
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 27

Appendix A

In memory of all firefighters

who answered their last call in 2012

To their families and friends

To their service and sacrifice

Photo/Brad Cowan, West Webster Fire District, New York
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 28

Jan. 4, 2012 — 1544 hours

Leo Lionell Crisanto

Inmate Firefighter

Age 54, Wildland Full-time

California Department of Corrections

and Rehabilitation, 

California

Firefighter Crisanto was near the conclusion of a 

20-minute, 0.66-mile exercise hike near Camp San 

Luis. During the hike, Firefighter Crisanto collapsed. 

Other firefighters began CPR and EMS was activated. 

An Automated External Defibrillator was utilized and 

Firefighter Crisanto was transported to a local hospital. Firefighter Crisanto arrived at the hospital at 1628 

hours and was pronounced dead a short time later. The 

cause of death was listed as a heart attack.

Jan. 6, 2012 — 1616 hours

William J. “Bill” “Jumbo” Elliott

Firefighter

Age 49, Career

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue,

Florida

Firefighter Elliott and other firefighters were participating in a training activity at the fire station that involved 

climbing the aerial ladder of a 2011 Pierce Quantum 

105HD ladder truck. The aerial was fully extended at 

a climbing angle of approximately 65 degrees. Firefighter Elliott climbed the ladder for the second time 

during the session.

For unknown reasons, Firefighter Elliott fell backward 

from the tip of the ladder, tumbled down within the 

rails of the ladder, came over the right side of the ladder, struck the right rear stabilizer (outrigger), and 

landed on the pavement. He sustained massive traumatic injuries as a result of the fall. Firefighters provided emergency medical treatment and Firefighter Elliot 

was delivered to a local hospital by ambulance within 

five minutes of his fall as a trauma code. Despite the 

efforts of firefighters and hospital personnel, Firefighter Elliott was pronounced dead due to multiple blunt 

force injuries at 1624 hours.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2012-01 (http://

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201201.pdf).
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 29

Jan. 8, 2012 — 2143 hours

Samuel Butler Sr.

Fire Chief

Age 52, Volunteer

Evans Crossroads Volunteer

Fire Department, 

North Carolina

Chief Butler and the members of his fire department 

were dispatched to the report of a vehicle crash with 

injuries on a local interstate highway. Chief Butler responded in his personal vehicle, a passenger car.

The vehicle involved in the original crash was in the median of the highway. Chief Butler responded through an 

on-ramp but needed to cross over the active lanes of the 

highway to access the emergency scene. As Chief Butler 

attempted to cross the highway, his vehicle was struck by 

a tractor-trailer truck at the driver’s side door. The impact 

pushed Chief Butler’s vehicle to the side of the road.

A law enforcement officer on the scene of the original crash witnessed the crash involving Chief Butler. 

The law enforcement officer and firefighters provided 

emergency medical assistance to Chief Butler, and he 

was transported to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead due to a traumatic head injury. 

Chief Butler was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of 

the crash. The front air bag in his vehicle did deploy.

Jan. 9, 2012 — 0630 hours

David Lee Crenshaw

Firefighter

Age 63, Volunteer

Pendleton Volunteer Fire Department, 

South Carolina

Firefighter Crenshaw and the members of his fire department were working on the scene of a vehicle crash. 

Firefighter Crenshaw was operating the pump of an engine on the scene when he suddenly collapsed.

Firefighter Crenshaw had been a member of the fire department for 50 years, serving 21 years as the chief of the 

department. His death was attributed to a heart attack.

Jan. 18, 2012 — 1740 hours

Brandon Lee Little

Firefighter

Age 19, Volunteer

United Hook and Ladder Company 33, 

New Oxford, Pennsylvania

Firefighter Little was responding in his personal vehicle, 

a 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee, to his fire station for a 

structure fire. As he crested a hill during his response, 

his vehicle became airborne and landed hard on the 

roadway. Firefighter Little lost control of his vehicle and 

struck a tree.

Firefighter Little was not wearing a seatbelt and he was 

ejected from the vehicle through the windshield. Firefighters and law enforcement officers responded to the 

scene and found that Firefighter Little had died as a result of the crash.

The law enforcement report on the crash cited excessive 

speed as a factor in the crash.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 30

Jan. 18, 2012 — 1822 hours

Duane Kanoelehua Ibarra

Firefighter III

Age 50, Career

Maui County Department of Fire 

and Public Safety, 

Hawaii

Firefighter Ibarra was on-duty as the Fire Apparatus Operator at the Makawao Fire Station. 

At 1401 hours, Firefighter Ibarra and his crew responded 

to a report of a structure fire just a few houses from Firefighter Ibarra’s home. Law enforcement officers arrived 

at the scene first and discovered and controlled a cooking fire. Firefighter Ibarra and his crew utilized equipment to remove smoke from the home and returned to 

service.

At approximately 1530 hours, Firefighter Ibarra entered 

the station’s physical fitness area to work out. Another 

firefighter spoke with Firefighter Ibarra at approximately 

1600 hours. At approximately 1820 hours, Firefighter 

Ibarra was discovered facedown and unresponsive in the 

physical fitness area. Firefighters began to provide emergency medical care to Firefighter Ibarra but discontinued 

their efforts when it became clear that Firefighter Ibarra 

had been down for some time. His death was caused by 

a heart attack.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation 

and Prevention Program report F2012-03 (http://www.

cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201203.pdf).

Jan. 19, 2012 — 1330 hours

Bruce Alan Turcotte

Firefighter

Age 58, Volunteer

Hopelawn Engine Company No. 1, 

New Jersey

Firefighter Turcotte responded as the driver of a heavy 

rescue company to a working mutual-aid structure fire. 

When the unit arrived at the scene, the crew went to 

work as a Rapid Intervention Crew, and Firefighter Turcotte remained with the apparatus. When an additional 

handline was needed in the interior, Firefighter Turcotte assisted with the deployment of the line but did 

not operate in the interior of the structure.

At approximately 1425 hours, Firefighter Turcotte was 

found in the cab of his apparatus by a local resident. 

He was slumped over the wheel and unresponsive. He 

was removed from the cab and CPR was initiated. He 

was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead due to a heart attack.

The structure fire was found to be arson-caused.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 31

Jan. 24, 2012 — 1250 hours

Walter Clayton Sumner

Captain

Age 49, Volunteer

Cranesville Volunteer Fire Department, 

Pennsylvania

Captain Sumner and the members of his fire department were dispatched to stand by in a neighboring 

community while the firefighters from that community were involved in an incident. Captain Sumner was 

the driver and officer in charge of an engine company. 

At the conclusion of the incident, firefighters washed 

the engine and returned it to service at 1502 hours.

At 1437 hours the next day, Captain Sumner called 

his wife and his Assistant Fire Chief to complain of 

a cardiac emergency. Firefighters and EMS responders 

found Captain Sumner at his home in severe cardiac 

distress. He was transported to the hospital but did not 

recover. Captain Sumner died on Jan. 24, 2012, as a 

result of a heart attack.

Feb. 1, 2012 — Time Unknown

Douglas Dale “Doug” Haase Sr., 

Senior Firefighter/Engineer/

Paramedic

Age 60, Career

St. Charles Fire Department, 

Missouri

Firefighter Haase and his crew participated in training on a new hydraulic extrication tool and on a new 

piece of apparatus from 0830 hours to 1033 hours. The 

training included extensive use and movement of the 

hydraulic extrication tools.

At 1033 hours, Firefighter Haase and his crew responded to an emergency move-up assignment to a 

neighboring community. They were released from this 

assignment at 1045 hours. The crew continued with 

training activities for the day and responded to an EMS 

incident at 2156 hours and a fire alarm activation at 

2223 hours.

Firefighter Haase retired to his sleeping quarters at 2245 

hours. At 0700 hours, Firefighter Haase was discovered 

pulseless and nonbreathing in his quarters. His death 

was caused by a heart attack.

Feb. 2, 2012 — 1830 hours

David Michael William Flint

Fire Chief

Age 49, Volunteer

Franklin Township Volunteer 

Fire Department, 

Pennsylvania

Chief Flint was responding to the fire station in a 

personal vehicle and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Firefighters and emergency medical personnel 

responded to the scene and found Chief Flint and his 

passenger trapped in their vehicle.

Chief Flint was extricated and transported to the hospital. Despite the efforts of firefighters and emergency 

medical workers, Chief Flint died as the result of the 

injuries he received in the crash. The cause of death 

was listed as multiple blunt force trauma.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 32

Feb. 13, 2012 — 0345 hours

Zachary Taylor “Zach” Whitacre

Firefighter

Age 21, Volunteer

Gore Volunteer Fire and Rescue, 

Virginia

Firefighter Whitacre and other members of his fire department responded to a mutual aid structure fire with 

a tanker (tender). Upon their arrival on the scene, the 

tanker discharged its load of water into a dump tank. 

Firefighter Whitacre was positioned at the rear of the 

tanker and operated the unit’s dump valve.

When the driver saw that the pump panel indicator 

lights showed an empty tank, he departed the scene 

to refill. As the tanker was en route to the fill site, the 

driver encountered icy roadway conditions, the driver 

lost control of the vehicle, and the apparatus crashed. 

The icy road conditions were attributed to water spillage from fire apparatus responding to the original 

structure fire.

Unbeknownst to the driver of the tanker, Firefighter 

Whitacre had remained on the back step of the vehicle while it traveled to the fill site. When the tanker 

crashed, Firefighter Whitacre was ejected and struck 

the roadway, sustaining fatal traumatic injuries. Speed 

was cited as a contributing factor in the crash.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2012-06 (http://

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201206.pdf).

Feb. 16, 2012 — 1328 hours

Charles Matthew “Matt” Waller

Firefighter/Fire Marshal

Age 47, Career

Memphis Fire Department, 

Texas

Fire Marshal Waller returned to his office after inspecting and replacing smoke detectors at the city hall building that morning. At approximately 1328 hours, an Assistant Chief discovered Fire Marshal Waller collapsed 

on the floor behind his desk. He was transported by 

ambulance to the hospital. Fire Marshal Waller was 

transferred to another hospital in Amarillo, and then to 

hospice care, where he died on Feb. 25, 2012, at 1317 

hours. The death was due to a CVA.

The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office prepared a detailed 

report on this incident. The report is available at http://

www.tdi.state.tx.us/fire/fmloddinvesti.html.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 33

Feb. 22, 2012 — 2030 hours

Jeremy Ryan Tighe

Firefighter

Age 19, Volunteer

McCutchanville Fire Department,

Indiana

Firefighter Tighe and another firefighter responded to 

a report of a carbon monoxide detector sounding at a 

residence. Firefighter Tighe was a front seat passenger 

in the 2008 Ferrara pumper.

As the unit returned from the incident, the right wheels 

of the apparatus left the roadway and the unit slid into 

the ditch, partially due to a soft shoulder, and struck 

a utility tower. Firefighter Tighe was directly impacted 

by the collision and suffered massive head and chest 

trauma. He was killed instantly. Firefighter Tighe was 

wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Feb. 28, 2012 — 1138 hours

Gerald R. Wetherell

Firefighter/EMT

Age 74, Paid-on-call

Denton Township Fire Department,

Michigan

Firefighter/emergency medical technician (EMT) Wetherell and the members of his fire department were dispatched to respond to an incident involving the crash of 

a snowmobile. Firefighter/EMT Wetherell responded to 

the fire station. The fire chief requested the response of 

the department’s snowmobile rescue unit.

Firefighter/EMT Wetherell and another firefighter prepared the snowmobile response unit, a task that involved hooking up a trailer that carried the snowmobile to a tow vehicle. The unit began to respond to the 

scene with Firefighter/EMT Wetherell as a passenger. 

During the response, Firefighter/EMT Wetherell became ill and the unit was diverted to the local ambulance station.

Firefighter/EMT Wetherell was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he died a short time 

later due to a heart attack.

Feb. 29, 2012 — 0619 hours

Mark G. Ratledge

Fire Captain

Age 35, Career

Cottonwood Fire Protection District, 

California

Captain Ratledge and the members of his fire company 

were dispatched to a vehicle crash on a local interstate 

highway. The weather at the time was a mix of snow 

and hail.

Captain Ratledge was standing by the roadside between a fire apparatus and a law enforcement vehicle 

with a law enforcement officer and a passenger of one 

of the cars that was involved in the earlier crash. A 

passing vehicle lost control and slid into the area where 

Captain Ratledge and the others were standing. Captain 

Ratledge was killed. The law enforcement officer and 

civilian were both injured.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 34

March 4, 2012 — 0317 hours

Nolan Ervin “Goat” Pittman

Fire Chief

Age 45, Volunteer

Centreville Volunteer Fire Department, 

Mississippi

Chief Pittman and the members of his fire department 

responded to a working residential structure fire. Chief 

Pittman assisted with exterior firefighting operations 

as firefighters attempted to limit the spread of the fire.

At approximately 0415 hours, Chief Pittman and another firefighter became nauseous. Both firefighters 

were transported to the hospital by a law enforcement 

officer. At the emergency room, Chief Pittman suffered 

a heart attack and died.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2012-11 (http://

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201211.pdf).

March 4, 2012 — 1350 hours

Jamison Nicholas Kampmeyer

Lieutenant/EMT

Age 34, Volunteer

Colby Fire Department, 

Wisconsin

Lieutenant Kampmeyer and the members of his fire 

department were dispatched to a mutual-aid structure 

fire in a movie theater. When they arrived on-scene, 

Lieutenant Kampmeyer and other firefighters from his 

department were directed to the rear of the structure. 

Lieutenant Kampmeyer and three other firefighters 

advanced an attack line into the rear of the theater. A 

ladder pipe master stream was flowed onto the structure from the front of the building. A roof collapse occurred, trapping Lieutenant Kampmeyer and two other 

firefighters in the debris. When Lieutenant Kampmeyer 

was located in the structure, he had died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

This incident involves a number of issues including 

command, building construction, accountability and 

coordination. The incident is more fully explained in 

NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2012-08 (http://www.cdc.gov/

niosh/fire/pdfs/face201208.pdf).
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 35

March 4, 2012 — 1750 hours

Mark Wayne Morrison

Lieutenant

Age 53, Career

St. Lucie County Fire District,

Florida

Lieutenant Morrison responded to two incidents during the first part of his shift including a reported brush 

fire, a vehicle crash, and an EMS incident. At the conclusion of the last incident, firefighters returned to 

quarters at approximately 1533 hours.

Upon his return to the station, Lieutenant Morrison 

worked in his office. At approximately 1749 hours, 

Lieutenant Morrison was discovered in a chair in his 

office, unconscious and not breathing. Firefighters provided EMS treatment, and he was transported to the 

hospital. Lieutenant Morrison did not recover and was 

pronounced dead of a heart attack at the hospital.

March 14, 2012 — 0833 hours

Thomas William “Bill” Dillion

Senior Captain

Age 49, Career

Houston Fire Department, 

Texas

Captain Dillion and his ladder company were dispatched to the report of an apartment fire. When they 

arrived on the scene, Captain Dillion walked toward 

the structure and then suddenly collapsed.

Firefighters on the scene provided emergency medical 

care and transported Captain Dillion to the hospital by 

ambulance. Despite these efforts, Captain Dillion was 

pronounced dead at 0921 hours. Captain Dillion’s death 

was caused by a pulmonary embolism.

March 19, 2012 — 1000 hours

Jonathan Dickinson Myers

Firefighter

Age 54, Career

Norfolk Fire-Rescue, 

Virginia

Firefighter Johnson was discovered unconscious on 

the floor of his bunk room by firefighters. He had 

just completed physical fitness activities that included 

climbing his station’s aerial ladder. Firefighters provided emergency medical assistance and Firefighter Myers 

was transported to the hospital. The cause of death was 

a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 36

March 19, 2012 — 2248 hours

Donald Lee Jones

Captain

Age 56, Career

Jacksonville Fire Department,

Arkansas

Captain Jones and his engine company were dispatched 

to a gas leak that resulted from a vehicle that struck 

a gas meter. The apparatus was parked to shield the 

scene from passing traffic, and the emergency lights of 

the apparatus and a law enforcement vehicle on-scene 

were in operation. Captain Jones and his crew were 

wearing high-visibility safety vests.

As they stood near the scene, Captain Jones, a member 

of his crew, and a law enforcement officer were struck 

by a passenger van. The van that struck the three responders made no effort to brake and may have sped 

up prior to the impact. The driver of the van faced 

second-degree murder charges and other charges related to the incident.

Captain Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. The 

cause of death was listed as multiple traumatic injuries 

and was labeled a homicide.

March 20, 2012 — 1510 hours

Edward Richard Bernosky

Firefighter

Age 79, Volunteer

Adena Volunteer Fire Company, 

Ohio

Firefighter Bernosky and another firefighter were delivering water in a fire department tanker (tender) to a remote 

camping site in their area. Firefighter Bernosky dragged 

a 100-foot section of 2 1/2-inch hose from the tanker to 

the water tank then drained and dragged the hose back 

to the tanker when the fill was complete.

As they left the area, the tanker became stuck in the mud. 

Firefighter Bernosky attempted to place bricks and rocks 

in the path of the tanker to provide traction but was not 

successful. A tow truck arrived and removed the tanker 

from the mud. As Firefighter Bernosky stood to leave the 

scene, he suffered a heart attack. He was transported to 

the hospital but did not recover.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 37

April 3, 2012 — 1055 hours

David L. Bailey

Captain

Age 50, Career

Los Angeles County Fire Department, 

California

At approximately 0900 hours, four inmate crews began their hike above Fire Camp 14 in Santa Clarita. 

Captain Bailey and three other fire crew supervisors 

started the hike, with Captain Bailey taking the rear 

position to account for all of the inmates. 

Upon returning to Fire Camp 14, it was determined 

that Captain Bailey had not returned, and a search operation was immediately initiated. Captain Bailey was 

found on the hiking trail in cardiac arrest at approximately 1055 hours. Rescue efforts were initiated and 

additional resources were requested through dispatch. 

Captain Bailey was flown to the hospital by fire department helicopter. Unfortunately, he was pronounced 

dead at 1220 hours.

The cause of death was listed as a heart attack.

April 6, 2012 — 1630 hours

John H. “Jack” Colbert

Captain

Age 60, Volunteer

Birchwood Fire Department, 

Wisconsin

Captain Colbert and the members of his fire department were dispatched to a report of a drowning. Captain Colbert remained at the fire station and assisted 

with communications. After approximately an hour, 

Captain Colbert felt ill and went home. Approximately 

three hours later, firefighters were dispatched to Captain Colbert’s home for an ill person. Captain Colbert 

was transported to the hospital but later died as a result 

of a heart attack.

April 7, 2012 — 0424 hours

Kenny Dewayne Fox

Fire Chief

Age 39, Volunteer

Decatur County Volunteer 

Fire Department Station 3, 

Tennessee

Chief Fox and the members of his fire department responded to a structure fire in a restaurant. Chief Fox 

responded to the fire station and then to the scene as a 

part of the crew of an engine company.

When they arrived on the scene, firefighters found 

a working fire. Chief Fox and two other firefighters 

advanced a handline into the structure. Conditions 

changed rapidly and Chief Fox pushed the other two 

firefighters toward the exit prior to being overcome by 

fire progress himself.

The roof of the restaurant collapsed and firefighters, 

including Chief Fox’s son, were not able to rescue him. 

The autopsy listed the cause of death as smoke inhalation and thermal burns with a carboxyhemoglobin 

saturation of 23 percent.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 38

April 9, 2012 — 0550 hours

Robert Peter Neary

Lieutenant

Age 59, Career

Philadelphia Fire Department, 

Pennsylvania

Daniel Sweeney

Firefighter

Age 25, Career

Philadelphia Fire Department, 

Pennsylvania

Lieutenant Neary and his ladder company were assigned to work at a multiple alarm fire in a five-story 

building. Once on-scene, ladder pipe operations were 

set up, and Lieutenant Neary and other firefighters 

were assigned to check for fire extension in an exposure building.

A catastrophic collapse of the fire building occurred, 

and the exposure building was struck by falling debris. Lieutenant Neary, Firefighter Sweeney and two 

other firefighters were trapped in the collapse. Other 

firefighters rescued the trapped firefighters from the 

building. Lieutenant Neary and Firefighter Sweeney 

were killed in the collapse. The cause of death for both 

firefighters was mechanical asphyxia.

April 12, 2012 — 1457 hours

John Charles Winkelman

Captain

Age 54, Career

Huntley Fire Protection District, 

Illinois

Captain Winkelman was a shift commander and was 

also assigned as the department’s communications officer. One of the duties of the communications officer involved attendance at regularly scheduled operations committee meetings at a regional dispatch center. 

These meetings were considered on-duty, and Captain 

Winkelman was paid for his time if he was off-duty.

On April 12, 2012, Captain Winkelman attended a 

meeting of the operations committee from 1300 hours 

to approximately 1445 hours. As he drove home from 

the meeting on his personal motorcycle, Captain Winkelman was involved in a crash when another driver 

pulled onto the roadway directly in front of Captain 

Winkelman. The cause of death was trauma related to 

the crash.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 39

April 12, 2012 — 1508 hours

Adam Joseph Longo

Firefighter

Age 31, Career

Natrona County Fire Protection District, 

Wyoming

Firefighter Longo and his crew were participating in 

physical fitness training when they were dispatched 

to a wildland fire. Firefighter Longo drove the crew’s 

squad truck in emergency mode back to the fire station 

to pick up their wildland apparatus.

About two minutes into the response, Firefighter Longo could not control the vehicle. He pressed the accelerator to the floor and the vehicle swerved. The company officer and another firefighter were able to bring 

the vehicle to a stop. Firefighter Longo was found to be 

exhibiting the symptoms of a CVA and he was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

Firefighter Longo was admitted to the hospital and underwent two surgeries. He was moved to a neurological unit but died on April 18, 2012. The cause of death 

was a CVA.

April 15, 2012 — 1808 hours

George Marshall Sanford

First Lieutenant

Age 67, Volunteer

Redding Fire & Emergency Services 

Company 1, 

Connecticut

At 1808 hours, the Redding Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a large brush fire near a local golf course. Firefighters, according to procedure, 

responded to the fire station and staffed apparatus for 

the response.

When First Lieutenant Sanford arrived at the station, 

the next vehicle set to respond on the incident was the 

ambulance. Firefighter Sanford was found unconscious 

next to the open driver’s door of the ambulance by returning firefighters at approximately 1831 hours.

Firefighters began CPR and First Lieutenant Sanford 

was transported to the hospital. He was pronounced 

dead at 1912 hours. The cause of death was listed as a 

heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 40

April 16, 2012 — 1500 hours

Richard A. Nappi

Lieutenant

Age 47, Career

New York City Fire Department,

New York

Lieutenant Nappi and his engine company were dispatched to a fire in a large commercial occupancy. The 

fire was difficult to locate and sprinkler activation had 

controlled the fire but made smoke conditions more 

difficult.

Lieutenant Nappi and his crew worked under difficult 

conditions for over an hour and a half inside of the 

structure, attempting to locate the fire and stretching 

handlines once it was found. At 1432 hours, a command officer noticed that Lieutenant Nappi did not 

look well and the Rapid Intervention Team was directed to remove Lieutenant Nappi from the building for 

EMS evaluation.

Although he told EMS responders that he felt well during the evaluation, Lieutenant Nappi suffered a seizure 

and a heart attack while under EMS care. On-scene 

testing revealed an elevated level of carbon monoxide. 

Lieutenant Nappi was transported to the hospital by 

ambulance. He was pronounced dead at 1532 hours 

due to a heart attack.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2012-16 (http://

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201216.pdf).

April 18, 2012

Mark Anthony Shepard Sr.

Firefighter

Age 49, Volunteer

Rosehill Volunteer Fire Department,

Texas

On April 18, 2012, Firefighter Shepard complained of 

feeling ill while at the fire station. He told an EMS Assistant Chief that he had not felt well since performing 

maintenance at the fire station during his shift on April 

17, 2012. While speaking with the Assistant Chief, Firefighter Shepard became very pale and stated that he was 

having chest pains. Firefighter Shepard was escorted to 

the ambulance for a cardiac work-up and transported 

to a local hospital. Firefighter Shepard remained in the 

hospital for tests and on April 20, 2012, he collapsed, 

and all resuscitative efforts failed. Firefighter Shepard 

died at approximately 1725 hours.

The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office prepared a detailed 

report on this incident. The report is available at http://

www.tdi.state.tx.us/fire/fmloddinvesti.html.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 41

May 9, 2012 — Time Unknown

Antonio C. Rodriques

Firefighter

Age 49, Career

Yonkers Fire Department, 

New York

On May 9, 2012, Firefighter Rodriques participated in 

bailout training while on-duty. During the training, 

he told other firefighters and fire officers that he did 

not feel well and continued to complain of illness until 

he was admitted to the hospital on July 18, 2012. Firefighter Rodriques died on July 31, 2012 as the result of 

complications related to a hemorrhagic stroke he suffered during fire department training.

May 16, 2012 — 0330 hours

David Alan Wintz Sr.

Fire Police Captain

Age 65, Volunteer

Bristol Fire Company, 

Pennsylvania

Fire Police Captain and the members of his fire department, along with numerous other firefighters and 

fire departments, responded to a report of two chemical tanks burning at a local chemical manufacturing 

facility. Upon his arrival at the scene in his personal 

vehicle, Fire Police Captain Wintz set up traffic control 

at an intersection approximately 2,000 feet from the 

burning tanks.

Smoke from the fires was minimal upon his arrival but 

became intense a short time later. Fire Police Captain 

Wintz retreated to his vehicle and drove away from the 

area. He called his wife to say that he was having difficulty breathing as he drove home. His wife called 911 

when he arrived home and firefighters and emergency 

medical responders were dispatched.

Responders found Fire Police Captain Wintz in cardiac 

arrest. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance where he was pronounced dead at 0457 hours. 

The cause of death was listed as a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 42

May 17, 2012 — 2053 hours

William Richard Danes

Firefighter

Age 69, Volunteer

Brazos County Precinct 3 Volunteer 

Fire Department, 

Texas

Firefighter Danes was participating in ladder training at 

a training center. The training consisted of classroom 

and hands-on training. Part of the hands-on training 

involved climbing hand ladders in full structural firefighting protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

As Firefighter Danes descended a ladder, other firefighters noticed that he was not feeling well. He was 

supported on each side by a firefighter and laid on the 

ground. Firefighter Danes became unresponsive and 

emergency medical care, including CPR, was initiated.

Firefighter Danes was transported to a first-aid station 

and then to a local hospital by ambulance. Firefighter 

Danes did not recover and was pronounced dead at the 

hospital due to an acute heart attack.

The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office prepared a detailed 

report on this incident. The report is available at http://

www.tdi.state.tx.us/fire/fmloddinvesti.html.

June 3, 2012 — 1347 hours

Todd Neal Tompkins

Captain

Age 48, Wildland Contract

Neptune Aviation Services, Inc.

Montana

Ronnie Edwin Chambless

First Officer

Age 40, Wildland Contract

Neptune Aviation Services, Inc., 

Montana

Captain Tompkins and First Officer Chambless were 

conducting air tanker operations near Modena, Utah. 

Their aircraft was a Lockheed P2V-7, Tanker 11.

The aircraft crashed while attempting the second fire 

retardant drop of the day. Both pilots were fatally injured. The investigation into the circumstances of the 

crash has not been completed.

For additional information about this crash, consult 

the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) website, NTSB identification WPR12GA243, at http://www.

ntsb.gov/aviationquery/.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 43

June 8, 2013 — 0800 hours

Anthony Ramone Polk

Firefighter/Fuels Technician

Age 30, Wildland Full-time

Bureau of Indian Affairs — 

Fort Yuma Agency, 

Arizona

Firefighter Polk and his Type 5 engine crew were assigned to the Montezuma Fire near Sells, Arizona. Firefighter Polk was the right front seat passenger in the engine, a 2009 Chevrolet 5500 with a 500-gallon tank.

Firefighter Polk’s engine was paired with another engine 

and assigned to patrol and provide initial attack to the 

west flank of the fire. The engines left Sells, Arizona just 

prior to 0800 hours driving south to check on a broken 

fire hydrant. The other engine was in the lead with Firefighter Polk’s engine following behind. Approximately 

five miles south of Sells, Firefighter Polk’s engine veered 

off the right side of the highway, overcorrected, crossed 

back over the roadway, flipped forward, and landed 

with the weight on the hood and cab. The engine then 

bounced, landing on its wheels, and coasted back across 

the highway to its final resting position.

Firefighter Polk received fatal injuries in the crash when 

the cab was crushed. Firefighter Polk was wearing his 

seatbelt at the time of the crash. Factors citied in the 

crash included driver distraction, driver inexperience, 

the condition of the roadway, and vehicle characteristics.

June 10, 2012 — 2122 hours

Donald Lynn Suggs

Assistant Chief

Age 55, Volunteer

Summerville Bunnlevel 

Fire and Rescue, Inc., 

North Carolina

Assistant Chief Suggs and other members of his fire 

department responded on an engine to a mutual aid 

incident regarding a fire alarm in a commercial structure. The alarm was found to be unnecessary and the 

engine was cancelled while responding. The unit went 

available at 1043 hours.

At 2122 hours, firefighters and EMS responders were 

dispatched to Assistant Chief Suggs’ home for a possible 

cardiac arrest. Responders found Assistant Chief Suggs 

in distress and assisted with treatment and transport to 

a hospital. Assistant Chief Suggs was pronounced dead 

at 0104 hours on June 11, 2012, due to a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 44

June 22, 2012 — 2219 hours

George Syril Davis

Fire Chief

Age 62, Career

Hollis Fire-Rescue, 

Maine

Chief Davis and the members of his fire department 

were dispatched to a report of illegal burning. Firefighters arrived on-scene and found that the incident 

was actually a dispute between neighbors and left the 

scene prior to the arrival of Chief Davis.

Chief Davis cancelled his response and diverted to the 

fire station to discuss the incident with his firefighters. 

Chief Davis left the fire station to return home at 1035 

hours. Chief Davis was discovered by his wife unconscious and not breathing in the driveway of his home at 

0045 hours on June 23, 2012. He was pronounced dead 

at the scene by responders due to a heart attack.

June 27, 2012 — 1300 hours

Ronald J. Keddie

Firefighter

Age 64, Volunteer

Sheridan Fire Department, 

New York

Firefighter Keddie responded to his fire station when his 

department was dispatched to a motor vehicle crash. 

Firefighter Keddie was to bring additional equipment to 

the scene following the response of other firefighters.

When he did not arrive at the scene, firefighters discovered Firefighter Keddie at the fire station unconscious. 

Firefighter Keddie had died of a heart attack during the 

response.

June 29, 2012 — 2145 hours

John Lennox Echternach Jr.

Lieutenant/EMT

Age 54, Volunteer

Boones Mill Volunteer

 Fire Department, 

Virginia

Lieutenant Echternach was responding to a structure 

fire in his personal vehicle. The area was undergoing 

severe weather, including high winds, at the time. During the response, Lieutenant Echternach came upon a 

vehicle that was stopped and had been hit by a falling 

tree. Without warning, additional trees fell and struck 

Lieutenant Echternach. He received a fatal head injury 

and died at the hospital on July 2, 2012.

July 1, 2012 — 0230 hours

Rocky Edward Dunkin

Lieutenant

Age 24, Volunteer

Niles Township Volunteer 

Fire Department, 

Ohio

Lieutenant Dunkin responded to the scene of a motor 

vehicle crash with entrapment. Lieutenant Dunkin was 

one of the first firefighters on the scene and assisted 

other firefighters and a law enforcement officer with 

gaining access to the occupants of the vehicle.

The fire chief arrived on the scene and he ordered Lieutenant Dunkin to retrieve a backboard from the fire apparatus. As he began to complete the task, Lieutenant 

Dunkin collapsed. He was treated by responders and 

placed in an ambulance for transport to a hospital. Lieutenant Dunkin became unresponsive and CPR was initiated. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 45

July 1, 2012 — 1830 hours

Paul K. Mikeal

Lieutenant Colonel/Evaluator Pilot

Age 42, Military

145th Airlift Wing, 

North Carolina Air National Guard

Joseph M. McCormick

Major/Instructor Pilot

Age 36, Military

145th Airlift Wing, 

North Carolina Air National Guard

Ryan Scott David

Major/Navigator

Age 35, Military

145th Airlift Wing, 

North Carolina Air National Guard

Robert S. Cannon

Senior Master Sergeant/Flight Engineer

Age 50, Military

145th Airlift Wing, 

North Carolina Air National Guard

A six-member crew was operating a C-130 Hercules 

aircraft, MAFFS 7, on a wildland firefighting mission on 

the White Draw Fire near Edgemont, South Dakota. The 

aircraft was equipped with a modular firefighting system with a capacity of 3,000 gallons of fire retardant.

The aircraft had successfully conducted a fire retardant 

drop on the fire and it was in the process of making a 

second drop when the crash occurred. As the aircraft 

made its run, it encountered turbulence from a thunderstorm and crashed. The four members of the flight 

deck crew were killed and the two crew members operating the firefighting system in the rear of the aircraft 

were injured but survived. A report concluded that all 

four flight crew died during the crash impact and not 

during the post-crash fire.

July 16, 2012 — 1130 hours

David Raymond Chew Jr.

Lieutenant

Age 30, Volunteer

Bloxom Volunteer Fire Company, 

Virginia

Lieutenant Chew was a passenger in a 1999 Pierce fire 

engine responding to a motor vehicle crash. The driver 

of the engine lost control on a curve, ran off of the 

right side of the road, and impacted several trees and a 

utility pole. Both right side doors were removed by the 

force of the crash. Lieutenant Chew was ejected from 

the vehicle and sustained fatal traumatic injuries.

July 23, 2012 — 0823 hours

Jon Robert Tibbetts

Fire Chief

Age 59, Career

Sandoval County Fire Department, 

New Mexico

Chief Tibbetts was on his way to administer a physical 

abilities test to a new paramedic firefighter candidate. 

He was operating his department-assigned vehicle, a 

2004 Ford Explorer.

As Chief Tibbetts drove north on a local interstate 

highway, another vehicle that was also northbound 

lost control and struck Chief Tibbetts’ vehicle, causing 

it to roll. Chief Tibbetts was wearing his seatbelt but 

sustained fatal traumatic injuries in the crash.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 46

August 10, 2012 — 1415 hours

Michael “Mouse” Burgan

Captain

Age 46, Volunteer

Sugarcreek Fire Department, 

Ohio

Captain Burgan was participating in dive rescue training 

in a man-made lake in a local quarry. He was performing the second dive of the day when he surfaced and 

indicated that he was in distress and went under water. 

The diving instructor recovered him from a depth of 

approximately 60 feet. He was pronounced dead at the 

scene. The cause of death was listed as drowning.

August 12, 2012 — 1250 hours

Anne Rosemarie Veseth

Firefighter

Age 20, Wildland Part-time

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, 

Idaho

Firefighter Veseth was part of a wildland engine crew 

assigned to the Steep Corner Fire near Orofino, Idaho. 

Her crew was attempting to put in a fire line when 

a large cedar tree fell and struck her. She sustained a 

massive head injury and died immediately.

August 18, 2012 — 1800 hours

Jimmy Donald Randolph

Inmate Firefighter

Age 44, Wildland Full-time

California Department of Corrections 

and Rehabilitation, 

California

Firefighter Randolph was assigned to the Buck Fire as 

a part of a strike team. At approximately 1800 hours, 

Firefighter Randolph advised a correctional officer that 

he had a headache. He was escorted to a medical team, 

evaluated, and given a three-day no-work note.

At approximately 0530 hours the next morning, Firefighter Randolph could not be awakened. He was treated and transported to a local hospital, where he was 

pronounced dead at 1230 hours on August 19, 2012. 

The cause of death was listed as anoxic encephalopathy 

combined with complications of heat stroke.

August 20, 2012 — 0729 hours

Roulos Cedric Davis

Captain

Age 49, Career

Chattanooga Fire Department, 

Tennessee

Captain Davis became ill shortly after reporting for 

duty. Firefighters provided medical care but Captain 

Davis did not survive his illness. The cause of death 

was a heart attack.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2013-01 (http://

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201301.pdf).

August 20, 2012 — 2130 hours

Timothy J. Lamere

Assistant Chief

Age 47, Volunteer

Constable Volunteer Firemen, Inc., 

New York

Assistant Chief Lamere collapsed at home within 24 

hours of participating in a fire department training activity the day before. The nature of fatal injury and 

cause were not reported.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 47

Sept. 2, 2012 — 1530 hours

Richard “Rick” Schaefer

Fire Chief

Age 52, Career

Hopkinton Fire Department, 

New Hampshire

Chief Schaefer suffered a heart attack while in the Contoocook fire station near the Hopkinton State Fair. He 

was transported to the hospital by ambulance but did 

not recover.

Sept. 5, 2012 — 1623 hours

Steven C. Henry Sr.

Fire Police Captain

Age 53, Volunteer

Columbia Consolidated 

Fire Department, 

Pennsylvania

Fire Police Captain Henry responded on a mutual-aid incident in a neighboring community. Fire Police Captain 

Henry assisted with scene security at a crash involving a 

school bus. He cleared the scene of the incident at 1657 

hours. Fire Police Captain Henry felt ill after the incident 

and saw his physician the next morning.

On Sept. 6, 2012, at 1220 hours, firefighters and emergency medical responders were dispatched to Fire 

Police Captain Henry’s home for a cardiac arrest. Responders provided treatment and transported Fire 

Police Captain Henry to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead later as the result of a heart attack.

Sept. 16, 2012 — 1315 hours

Neal Wade Smith

Captain

Age 46, Volunteer

Atascocita Volunteer 

Fire Department, 

Texas

Captain Smith was engaged in a “Smoke Divers” class 

at a local fire training facility. He wore full structural 

firefighting protective clothing, including an SCBA.

After completing a training evolution, Captain Smith 

became ill and was transported to the hospital. Captain Smith suffered from a heat-related illness. His core 

body temperature was found to be 107 degrees Fahrenheit when he arrived at the hospital.

Captain Smith was treated at the hospital but died as 

a result of his injury on Sept. 17, 2012, at 1740 hours. 

The cause of death was listed as hyperthermia.

Sept. 17, 2012 — Time Unknown

Christopher Joseph Seelye

Firefighter

Age 61, Wildland Contract

USDA Forest Service, 

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 

Washington

Firefighter Seelye was assigned as a tree faller at the 

Klone Fire about 20 miles north of Wenatchee, Washington. As Firefighter Seelye worked on the fire line, he 

told other firefighters that he did not feel well. He was 

treated by EMS responders assigned to the fire and then 

transported to a local hospital. He died later that day in 

the hospital as the result of a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 48

Sept. 27, 2012 — 1712 hours

Justin E. Townsend

Junior Firefighter

Age 17, Volunteer

Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department, 

Delaware

Junior Firefighter Townsend was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by a friend as he responded to an outside fire in a wooded area. The driver lost control of 

the pickup in a curve, struck a telephone pole, and the 

vehicle ended up on its roof. The passenger side of the 

vehicle was crushed. Junior Firefighter Townsend received fatal injuries in the crash.

Both the driver and Junior Firefighter Townsend were 

wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash. Excessive speed was cited as a factor in the crash. 

Sept. 30, 2012 — Time Unknown

John D. Grabowski

Lieutenant

Age 49, Part-time (Paid)

Riverview Fire Department, 

Michigan

Lieutenant Grabowski was on-duty on Sunday, Sept. 

30, 2012. During his shift, he participated in a training exercise involving the foam system on one of the 

department’s apparatus. There had been some operational problems with the system, so the training necessitated several adjustments to the system on the top 

of the apparatus by Lieutenant Grabowski. His shift 

ended at 1800 hours.

The following morning at approximately 0803 hours, 

Lieutenant Grabowski was found unconscious in the 

parking lot of his employer. He was treated and transported to the hospital but died as the result of a heart 

attack.

Oct. 9, 2012 — 1730 hours

Larry Dean Nielsen

Fire Chief

Age 60, Volunteer

Gilmore City Fire Department, 

Iowa

Chief Nielsen was a passenger in a fire department engine responding to a barn fire. A few minutes after departing the fire station on the response, Chief Nielsen 

told the driver of the apparatus to pull over, he was not 

feeling well.

The driver pulled the apparatus to the side of the road 

and Chief Nielsen exited the vehicle. Chief Nielsen collapsed to the pavement. EMS was summoned and the 

driver and Chief Nielsen’s spouse began CPR. Chief 

Nielsen was transported to the hospital by ambulance 

but did not survive the medical emergency. The cause 

of death was listed as a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 49

Oct. 27, 2012 — 0945 hours

Donald Edward Felton

Fire Chief

Age 70, Career

Southern Park County Fire Protection 

District, Colorado

Chief Felton was alone in the fire station working at his 

desk. A firefighter arrived at the station at approximately 1115 hours and discovered Chief Felton deceased in 

his office. His death was caused by a heart attack. The 

coroner estimated the time of death as 0945 hours.

Oct. 27, 2012 — 1900 hours

Robert Eugene Van Wormer

Battalion Chief

Age 47, Career

Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit,

California

Battalion Chief Van Wormer was on assignment in Santa Cruz working an investigation. He was having dinner with an associate. Battalion Chief Van Wormer lost 

consciousness and was immediately transported to the 

hospital. His death was caused by a heart attack.

Oct. 29, 2012 — 2030 hours

Russell F. Neary

Lieutenant

Age 55, Volunteer

Easton Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, 

Connecticut

Lieutenant Neary and the members of his fire department responded to a report of a structure fire. While 

returning to quarters, firefighters encountered debris 

in the roadway that had been blown down by Hurricane Sandy. Firefighters began to remove the debris 

from the roadway when sections of a tree or trees fell 

into the roadway, striking Lieutenant Neary.

Nov. 2, 2012 — 1720 hours

Herbert T. “Herbie” Johnson

Captain

Age 54, Career

Chicago Fire Department,

Illinois

Captain Johnson and his engine company crew were 

dispatched along with other firefighters to a report of 

a structure fire in a 2 1/2-story wood frame residential 

structure. The first unit on the scene, a battalion chief, 

reported a working fire and found conditions on the 

first and second floors clear, with fire on the second 

floor of an enclosed porch to the rear.

When Captain Johnson and his unit arrived on the 

scene, there were reports from an arriving ladder company of fire visible from the attic. Captain Johnson and 

his crew secured a water supply and advanced a hoseline to the second floor. Fire conditions changed rapidly 

and the fire overcame Captain Johnson’s position. Other 

firefighters were able to remove Captain Johnson from 

the structure and bring him to the street.

Captain Johnson was transported by fire department 

ambulance to the hospital. He died at 1845 hours as a 

result of asphyxiation (smoke inhalation).
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 50

Nov. 3, 2012 — 1700 hours

John McClelland Hall

Deputy Fire Chief

Age 48, Career

Clarkton Volunteer Fire Department, 

North Carolina

Deputy Chief Hall responded to a structure fire on Nov. 

3, 2012. He felt ill at the scene and was prescribed bed 

rest by a physician. On Nov. 4, 2012, he was found at 

home unresponsive and taken to the hospital. He died 

as the result of a cardiac illness on Nov. 7, 2012.

Nov. 5, 2012 — 0045 hours

David Mitchell Tatum

Lieutenant

Age 55, Volunteer

White Oak Fire Department, 

North Carolina

Lieutenant Tatum became sick at the scene of a vehicle 

fire but did not request treatment at that time. Later in 

the day, he began having trouble breathing and became 

unconscious. Lieutenant Tatum was treated and transported to Bladen County Hospital and then transferred 

to Cape Fear Valley Hospital in Fayetteville where he 

passed away from a cause still to be reported.

Nov. 6, 2012 — 1537 hours

Walter M. Summerville III

Fire Chief

Age 55, Career

Kernersville Fire Rescue Department, 

North Carolina

Chief Summerville responded with his fire department 

to a triple shooting incident. Near the end of the incident, Chief Summerville complained to fellow firefighters that he didn’t feel well and went to sit in one of the 

department vehicles while the incident was concluded. 

The following day while at a benefit event in the afternoon, Chief Summerville complained again to coworkers that he still did not feel well and departed work 

early for home. A short time later, Chief Summerville 

was discovered by a family member passed away from 

an apparent heart attack.

Nov. 11, 2012 — 2044 hours

Mark Allan Haudenschild II

Firefighter

Age 26, Volunteer

Washington Township Volunteer 

Fire Department,

Indiana

Firefighter Haudenschild was the driver and sole occupant of a tanker (tender) responding to a wildland fire. 

As Firefighter Haudenschild approached an intersection, he swerved and applied the brakes to avoid some 

traffic control posts in the roadway.

The tanker began to roll and began to rotate before 

striking a utility pole. The vehicle continued to roll and 

struck a second utility pole. Firefighter Haudenschild 

was ejected from the vehicle. The apparatus water tank 

came off of the frame of the truck and landed on top 

of Firefighter Haudenschild.

Firefighter Haudenschild was not wearing his seatbelt 

at the time of the crash.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 51

Nov. 11, 2012 — 2320 hours

Walter Patmon Jr.

Firefighter

Age 61, Career

Chicago Fire Department, 

Illinois

Firefighter Patmon was on-duty as the driver of a ladder company. He and his crew came on-duty at 0800 

hours. During the day, Firefighter Patmon and his ladder 

company responded to two EMS incidents and a vehicle 

crash. At 2205 hours, Firefighter Patmon and his crew 

were the arriving ladder at a reported structural fire.

Firefighter Patmon donned his protective clothing and 

set up the aerial ladder for operations. The incident was 

found to be food on the stove and Firefighter Patmon 

returned the ladder to its bed. While driving back to 

quarters, Firefighter Patmon began to suffer shortness 

of breath and chest pains.

Upon arrival at the fire station at 2224 hours, Firefighter 

Patmon’s symptoms quickly worsened. An ambulance 

was called and other firefighters provided care for Firefighter Patmon. He left for the hospital by ambulance 

at 2231 hours and arrived at the hospital at 2236 hours. 

Despite care given in the emergency room, Firefighter Patmon was pronounced dead at 2320 hours. The 

cause of death was a heart attack.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2012-29 (http://

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201229.pdf).

Nov. 13, 2012 — 1652 hours

John Thomas Sayles

Captain

Age 38, Volunteer

Pentwater Fire Department

Michigan

Captain Sayles and members of his fire department responded on a mutual-aid structure fire in a neighboring 

community. While on the scene, Captain Sayles used a 

pike pole and a chain saw to remove heavy siding from 

the side of an old barn that had been converted into a 

residence. Captain Sayles performed much of the work 

above his head. The siding was removed to reveal a fire 

in the wall. Captain Sayles and other firefighters completed their work on the scene and returned to service 

after 1741 hours.

On Nov. 14, 2012, at 1755 hours, a 911 call was received 

from Captain Sayles’ residence. Captain Sayles had collapsed. He was transported to the hospital, where he 

was diagnosed with a thoracic aneurysm. Eventually, 

the decision was made to transfer Captain Sayles to another hospital for treatment. During the transport, his 

condition worsened and he died.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 52

Nov. 20, 2012 — 1610 hours

Christopher M. Good

Captain

Age 36, Volunteer

West Chester Fire Department,

Pennsylvania

Captain Good responded with his fire department to a 

working structure fire. The incident was concluded at 

1650 hours. The next morning, Nov. 21, 2012, at 0645 

hours, Captain Good participated in a preplanning activity at a local hospital that concluded at 0830 hours. 

Captain Good returned to his home.

At 1100 hours, Captain Good collapsed at home and 

EMS responders were sent to the scene. Captain Good 

was provided with CPR and transported to the hospital. After approximately 40 minutes of effort in the 

emergency room, Captain Good was pronounced dead 

due to a heart attack.

Nov. 27, 2012 — 1315 hours

Michael Martin

Firefighter

Age 51, Industrial

PPL Susquehanna LLC,

Pennsylvania

Firefighter Martin was training at a local community 

college facility to become a part of his facility fire brigade. As he participated in an SCBA exercise, he felt 

ill and collapsed. The class instructor started CPR and 

called for assistance. Firefighter Martin was transported to the hospital but did not survive the heart attack.

Nov. 30, 2012 — 2200 hours

Jalen S.D. Smith

Firefighter

Age 20, Volunteer

Jackson Heights Volunteer 

Fire Department,

Texas

Firefighter Smith was a passenger in a vehicle driven 

by another firefighter responding to a crash involving 

a tractor-trailer. For reasons that are not clear, the vehicle left the roadway and rolled. There are conflicting 

reports regarding Firefighter Smith’s location after the 

crash; he may have been ejected.

Firefighter Smith suffered head and back injuries. He 

was transported to the hospital and treated but died as 

a result of his injuries on Dec. 3, 2012.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 53

Dec. 2, 2012 — 1954 hours

Timothy Paul Jansen

Firefighter

Age 45, Volunteer

Santa Fe Fire Protection District, 

Illinois

At 1934 hours on Dec. 2, 2012, Bartelso/Santa Fe firefighters were dispatched to a report of a timber fire in 

their area with further reports that the fire was approaching a residence. Firefighter Jansen and another firefighter 

were the first to arrive on scene in a brush apparatus at 

1953 hours. Firefighter Jansen was the passenger in the 

unit and jumped out of the apparatus to assist the driver 

while the apparatus was repositioned.

As the apparatus moved backward, Firefighter Jansen was 

struck and run over by the vehicle. As other firefighters 

arrived on the scene, they were told by bystanders that 

a firefighter had been run over. Firefighters discovered 

Firefighter Jansen lying in the roadway, unconscious, not 

breathing and pulseless. Firefighters requested an ambulance and focused their efforts on providing assistance to 

Firefighter Jansen. He was transported by ambulance to 

a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2128 

hours. The cause of death was listed as crushing injuries 

to the pelvis, abdomen and chest.

For additional information regarding this incident, 

please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation 

and Prevention Program report F2012-31 (http://www.

cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201231.pdf).

Dec. 8, 2012 — 0030 hours

Eddy Wayne Meador

Fire Chief

Age 54, Volunteer

Pattonsburg Fire & Rescue 

Protection District, 

Missouri

Chief Meador died as the result of a heart attack suffered within 24 hours of responding to several emergency incidents.

Dec. 10, 2012 — 1230 hours

Steven W. Fritz

Fire Chief

Age 58, Paid-on-call

Rothschild Fire Department, 

Wisconsin

Chief Fritz responded to an emergency medical incident at 1230 hours and then went home. At home, he 

cleared snow from his driveway and then went inside 

the house to watch television. He was found deceased 

in his residence at approximately 1830 hours. His death 

was due to a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 54

Dec. 12, 2012 — Time Unknown

Jeffery A. Hudson

Private

Age 46, Career

St. Louis Fire Department, 

Missouri

Private Hudson and the members of his ladder company responded to multiple incidents during their shift. 

The last incident was a report of a gas odor. Firefighters 

returned to their quarters at approximately 0230 hours. 

Private Hudson was discovered deceased in his bunk in 

the morning. His death was attributed to natural causes.

Dec. 21, 2012 — 1254 hours

Philip Alan Mortensen

Fire Chief

Age 67, Volunteer

Brooklyn Fire & EMS Protection District, 

Wisconsin

Chief Mortensen and other members of his fire department responded to an emergency medical incident 

on Dec. 21, 2012. The incident was concluded at 1633 

hours. At 1254 hours the next day, firefighters were dispatched to a report of a man down. Firefighters discovered Chief Mortensen in respiratory and cardiac arrest. 

He was treated and transported to a medical helicopter 

landing zone for further transport. The flight physician 

pronounced Chief Mortensen dead upon his arrival at 

the landing zone. His death was due to a heart attack.

Dec. 24, 2012 — 0541 hours

Michael John Chiapperini

Firefighter

Age 43, Volunteer

West Webster Fire District, 

New York

Tomasz Marian Kaczowka

Firefighter

Age 19, Volunteer

West Webster Fire District, 

New York

Firefighters Chiapperini and Kaczowka responded 

along with other firefighters to the report of a fire. An 

individual had intentionally set a vehicle on fire, and 

the fire had spread to a house.

As firefighters arrived on the scene, they were fired upon 

by the occupant of the home. Firefighter Chiapperini arrived on the first-due engine, and Firefighter Kaczowka 

arrived in an ambulance. Both firefighters were struck 

and mortally wounded. Two other firefighters and a police officer were also wounded in the shooting.

Firefighter Fatalities From Previous Years

April 24, 2007 — 2200 hours

George R. Davidson III

Firefighter/Training Officer

Age 58, Volunteer

Youngsville Fire Department, 

New York

Training Officer Davidson led and participated in a live 

fire training exercise for his fire department during the 

evening of April 27, 2007. During the event, Training 

Officer Davidson complained to the fire chief of not feeling well. The training exercise ended at approximately 

2200 hours, and Training Officer Davidson went home.

Training Officer Davidson showered and went to bed 

when he arrived home. At 2315 hours, he began to 

have difficulty breathing and got out of bed. By midnight, his wife called 911 and requested an ambulance. 

Training Officer Davidson was transported to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 0122 hours on April 

25, 2007, due to a heart attack.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 55

Sept. 30, 2008 — 0700 hours

Remy Hathaway Pochelon

Fire Safety Officer

Age 54, Wildland Part-time

United States Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service

Philipsburg, Montana

Safety Officer Pochelon was assigned as the Safety Officer 

on the Table Mountain Fire on Sept. 25, 2009. On Sept. 

29, 2009, Safety Officer Pochelon was out on the fire 

line performing his duties, hiking long distances with 

a heavy pack, and working with firefighters and command officers. The next morning while still assigned to 

the fire, Safety Officer Pochelon suffered a CVA and died.

Nov. 7, 2008 — 0200 hours

Steven Francis Bouchard

Firefighter

Age 19, Volunteer

Snowdoun Volunteer 

Fire Department, 

Alabama

Firefighter Bouchard and the members of his fire department were dispatched to a vehicle crash. Firefighter Bouchard responded in his personal vehicle and was 

involved in a single-vehicle crash. He died as a result of 

injuries received in the crash on Nov. 11, 2008.

Nov. 8, 2010 — 1430 hours

Francis Arthur Ladue Jr.

Firefighter

Age 63, Volunteer

Santa Rosa Volunteer 

Fire Department, 

Texas

Firefighter Ladue was operating an engine company 

performing resupply operations for a brush truck at a 

grass/brush fire in Cameron County. The engine featured an open passenger cab with the pump controls 

located mid-mount between the cab and tank. 

Firefighter Ladue slipped while stepping down from 

the pump controls to the passenger side and hit the 

back of his head. Firefighter Ladue indicated he was 

not injured and refused treatment at the scene. After 

the fire was controlled, he returned to the fire station. 

At approximately 1830 hours, he went home after refusing medical attention. Complaining of a headache 

to his wife, he went into a bedroom to rest. He was 

later found by his wife, unconscious and unresponsive. 

He was transported by ambulance to a hospital where 

an examination revealed an intracranial hemorrhage. 

Firefighter Ladue remained on life support until passing away on Jan. 9, 2011.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 56

Appendix B

Firefighter Fatality Inclusion Criteria – National Fire Service Organizations

The NFPA, NFFF, USFA and other organizations individually collect information on firefighter fatalities in the U.S. Each organization uses a slightly different set of inclusion criteria that are based at 

least in part on the purposes of the information collection for each organization and data consistency.

As a result of these differing inclusion criteria, statistics about firefighter fatalities may be provided 

by each organization that do not coincide with one another. This section will explain the inclusion criteria for each organization and provide information about these differences.

USFA includes firefighters in this report who died while on-duty, became ill while on-duty and 

later died, and firefighters who died within 24 hours of an emergency response or training, regardless of whether the firefighter complained of illness while on-duty. USFA counts firefighter 

deaths that occur in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. protectorates, such as Puerto 

Rico and Guam. Detailed inclusion criteria for this report appear starting on page 2 of this report.

For 2012, USFA reported 81 on-duty firefighter fatalities.

Firefighter Fatalities in 2012 Incidents Occurring in 2012

0

25

50

75

100

USFA NFPA NFFF

81

64

73

Organization

Firefighter Fatalities
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 57

Inclusion Criteria for NFPA‘s Annual Firefighter Fatality Study

Introduction

Each year, NFPA collects data on all firefighter fatalities in the U.S. that resulted from injuries or illnesses that occurred while the victims were on-duty. The purpose of the study is to analyze trends 

in the types of illnesses and injuries resulting in deaths that occur while firefighters are on the job. 

This annual census of firefighter fatalities in its current format dates back to 1977. (Between 1974 

and 1976, NFPA published a study of on-duty firefighter fatalities that was not as comprehensive.) 

What is a Firefighter?

For the purpose of the NFPA study, the term firefighter covers all uniformed members of organized fire departments, whether career, volunteer, combination or contract; full-time public service officers acting as firefighters; state and federal government fire service personnel; temporary 

fire suppression personnel operating under official auspices of one of the above; and privately employed firefighters including trained members of industrial or institutional fire brigades, whether 

full- or part-time.

Under this definition, the study includes, besides uniformed members of local career and volunteer fire departments, those seasonal and full-time employees of state and federal agencies 

who have fire suppression responsibilities as part of their job description, prison inmates serving 

on firefighting crews, military personnel performing assigned fire suppression activities, civilian 

firefighters working at military installations, and members of industrial fire brigades. Impressed 

civilians would also be included if called on by the officer in charge of the incident to carry out 

specific duties. The NFPA study includes fatalities that occur in all 50 states and the District of 

Columbia. 

What does “on-duty” mean?

The term on-duty refers to being at the scene of an alarm, whether a fire or nonfire incident; being en route while responding to or returning from an alarm; performing other assigned duties 

such as training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigations, court testimony and 

fund raising; and being on-call, under orders or on standby duty other than at home or at the 

individual’s place of business. Fatalities that occur at a firefighter‘s home may be counted if the 

actions of the firefighter at the time of injury involved firefighting or rescue.

On-duty fatalities include any injury sustained in the line of duty that proves fatal, any illness that 

was incurred as a result of actions while on-duty that proves fatal, and fatal mishaps involving nonemergency occupational hazards that occur while on-duty. The types of injuries included in the first 

category are mainly those that occur at an incident scene, in training, or in accidents while responding to or returning from alarms. Illnesses (including heart attacks) are included when the exposure 

or onset of symptoms are tied to a specific incident of on-duty activity. Those symptoms must have 

been in evidence while the victim was on-duty for the fatality to be included in the study. 

Fatal injuries and illnesses are included even in cases where death is considerably delayed. When 

the onset of the condition and the death occur in different years, the incident is counted in the 

year of the condition’s onset. Medical documentation specifically tying the death to the specific 

injury is required for inclusion of these cases in the study.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 58

Categories not included in the study

The NFPA study does not include members of fire department auxiliaries, non-uniformed employees of fire departments, emergency medical technicians who are not also firefighters, chaplains, or civilian dispatchers. The study also does not include suicides as on-duty fatalities even 

when the suicide occurs on fire department property.

The NFPA recognizes that a comprehensive study of firefighter on-duty fatalities would include 

chronic illnesses (such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers) that prove fatal and that 

arose from occupational factors. In practice, there is as yet no mechanism for identifying on-duty 

fatalities that are due to illnesses that develop over long periods of time. This creates an incomplete picture when comparing occupational illnesses to other factors as causes of firefighter deaths. 

This is recognized as a gap, the size of which cannot be identified at this time because of the 

limitations in tracking the exposure of firefighters to toxic environments and substances and the 

potential long-term effects of such exposures.

2012 Experience

In 2012, a total of 64 on-duty firefighter deaths occurred in the U.S., according to the NFPA inclusion criteria. 

National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

In 1997, fire service leaders formulated new criteria to determine eligibility for inclusion on the 

National Fallen Firefighter Memorial. LODDs shall be determined by the following standards:

1. (a) Deaths of firefighters meeting the DOJ’s PSOB Program guidelines, and those cases that 

appear to meet these guidelines, whether or not PSOB staff has adjudicated the specific case 

prior to the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.

(b) Deaths of firefighters from injuries, heart attacks or illnesses documented to show a direct 

link to a specific emergency incident or department-mandated training activity.

2. While PSOB guidelines cover only public safety officers, the foundation’s criteria also include 

contract firefighters and firefighters employed by a private company, such as those in an industrial brigade, provided that the deaths meet the standards listed above.

3. Some specific cases will be excluded from consideration, such as deaths attributable to suicide, 

alcohol or substance abuse, or other gross abuses as specified in the PSOB guidelines.

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial was built in 1981 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The names 

listed there begin with those firefighters who died in the line of duty that year. Congress created 

the NFFF to lead a nationwide effort to remember America’s fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the 

tax-exempt, nonprofit foundation has developed and expanded programs to honor our fallen fire 

heroes and assist their families and coworkers by providing them with resources to rebuild their 

lives. Since 1997, the foundation has managed the National Memorial Service held each October 

to honor the firefighters who died in the line of duty the previous year.
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 59

As of this writing, the foundation will be honoring 81 firefighters who died in the line of duty at 

the October 2013 Memorial Weekend. Of those 81 being honored, 73 died in 2012 as the result of 

incidents that occurred in 2012, and eight others died in previous years as the result of incidents 

that occurred in previous years. 

The following section is a listing of the firefighters who will be honored by the foundation in 

October 2013, as of this writing.

Firefighter deaths that occurred in 2012 as the result of incidents that occurred in 2012:

Arizona

Anthony R. Polk

Bureau of Indian Affairs/Fort Yuma Agency

Arkansas

Donald L. Jones

Jacksonville Fire Department

California

David L. Bailey

Los Angeles County Fire Department

Leo L. Crisanto

California Department of 

Corrections and Rehabilitation

Jimmy D. Randolph

California Department of 

Corrections and Rehabilitation

Mark G. Ratledge 

Cottonwood Fire Protection District

Connecticut

Russell F. Neary

Easton Fire Department

George M. Sanford

Redding Fire & Emergency Services 

Company 1

Delaware

Justin E. Townsend

Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department

Florida

William J. Elliott

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue

Mark W. Morrison

St. Lucie County Fire District

Hawaii

Duane K. Ibarra

Maui County Department of Fire 

and Public Safety

Idaho

Ronnie E. Chambless

Neptune Aviation Services, Inc.

Todd N. Tompkins

Neptune Aviation Services, Inc.

Anne R. Veseth

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, 

USDA Forest Service

Illinois

Timothy P. Jansen

Santa Fe Fire Protection District

Herbert T. Johnson

Chicago Fire Department

Walter Patmon Jr.

Chicago Fire Department
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 60

Indiana

Mark A. Haudenschild II

Washington Township Volunteer 

Fire Department

Jeremy R. Tighe

McCutchanville Fire Department

Iowa

Larry D. Nielsen

Gilmore City Fire Department

Maine

George S. Davis

Hollis Fire-Rescue

Michigan

John D. Grabowski

Riverview Fire Department

John T. Sayles

Pentwater Fire Department

Gerald R. Wetherell

Denton Township Fire Department

Mississippi

Nolan E. Pittman

Centreville Volunteer Fire Department

Missouri

Douglas D. Haase Sr.

St. Charles Fire Department

Jeffery A. Hudson

St. Louis Fire Department

Eddy W. Meador

Pattonsburg Fire & Rescue Protection District

Montana

Christopher J. Seelye

USDA Forest Service, contractor

New Hampshire

Richard Schaefer

Hopkinton Fire Department

New Jersey

Bruce A. Turcotte

Hopelawn Engine Company No. 1

New Mexico

Jon R. Tibbetts

Sandoval County Fire Department

New York

Michael J. Chiapperini

West Webster Fire District

Tomasz M. Kaczowka

West Webster Fire District

Ronald J. Keddie

Sheridan Fire Department

Timothy J. Lamere

Constable Volunteer Firemen, Inc.

Richard A. Nappi

New York City Fire Department

North Carolina

Samuel Butler Sr.

Evans Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department

Robert S. Cannon

North Carolina Air National Guard, 

145th Airlift Wing

Ryan S. David

North Carolina Air National Guard, 

145th Airlift Wing

John M. Hall

Clarkton Volunteer Fire Department

Joseph M. McCormick

North Carolina Air National Guard, 

145th Airlift Wing

Paul K. Mikeal

North Carolina Air National Guard, 

145th Airlift Wing
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 61

Donald L. Suggs

Summerville Bunnlevel Fire and Rescue, Inc.

Walter M. Summerville III

Kernersville Fire Rescue Department

David M. Tatum

White Oak Fire Department

Ohio

Michael Burgan

Sugarcreek Fire Department

Rocky E. Dunkin

Niles Township Volunteer Fire Department

Pennsylvania

David M. Flint

Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department

Christopher M. Good

Good Will Fire Company

Steven C. Henry Sr.

Columbia Consolidated Fire Department, 

Columbia Fire Police

Brandon L. Little

United Hook and Ladder Company 33

Michael Martin

PPL Susquehanna LLC

Robert P. Neary

Philadelphia Fire Department

Walter C. Sumner

Cranesville Volunteer Fire Department

Daniel Sweeney

Philadelphia Fire Department

David A. Wintz Sr.

Bristol Fire Company

South Carolina

David L. Crenshaw

Anderson County Fire Department

Tennessee

Kenny D. Fox

Decatur County Volunteer Fire Department

Texas

William R. Danes

Brazos County Precinct 3 Volunteer 

Fire Department

Thomas W. Dillion

Houston Fire Department

Jalen S.D. Smith

Jackson Heights Volunteer Fire Department

Neal W. Smith

Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department

Virginia

David R. Chew Jr.

Bloxom Volunteer Fire Company

John L. Echternach Jr.

Boones Mill Volunteer Fire Department

Jonathan D. Myers

Norfolk Fire-Rescue

Zachary T. Whitacre

Gore Volunteer Fire and Rescue

Wisconsin

John H. Colbert

Birchwood Fire Department

Steven W. Fritz

Rothschild Fire Department

Jamison N. Kampmeyer

Colby Volunteer Fire Department

Philip A. Mortensen

Brooklyn Fire & EMS Protection District

Wyoming

Adam J. Longo

Natrona County Fire Protection District 
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 62

Deaths From Previous Years

Arizona

Deon J. Classay 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fort Apache Agency

Florida

Stephan C. Rich 

Sarasota County Fire Department

Mississippi

Karlton A. K. Briscoe 

Hickory Flat Volunteer Fire Department

North Carolina

Gerald L. Sundstrom Jr. 

North Carolina Forest Service

North Dakota

Loren J. George 

Minot Rural Fire Department

Oregon

Tony B. Chapin

Willamina Fire Department

Pennsylvania

Corey A. Baker 

Kenhorst Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1

Texas

Francis A. Ladue Jr.

Santa Rosa Fire Department

Photo/National Guard Senior Airman Laura Montgomery, 145th Public Affairs
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2012 63

Acronyms

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs

BLM Bureau of Land Management

CVA cerebrovascular accident

DOJ U.S. Department of Justice

EMS Emergency Medical Services

EMT emergency medical technician

FWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

LODD line-of-duty death

NETC National Emergency Training Center

NFFF National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

NFIRS National Fire Incident Reporting System

NFPA National Fire Protection Association

NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

NPS National Park Service

NTSB National Transportation Safety Board

POV privately owned vehicle

PSOB Public Safety Officers’ Benefit

SCBA self-contained breathing apparatus

USFA U.S. Fire Administration

USFS U.S. Forest Service