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Fire Fighter Fatality Reports - 2000
Lord, I ask that you receive these men and women into your care. Their unselfish acts
of kindness to strangers and their willingness to pay the ultimate price, with little
renumeration for their efforts and the shallow respect of their fellow man has certainly
earned them a place in your kingdom. Your Word tells us that there is no greater person than
the one who would lay down his life for a friend. The fire fighters and paramedics who
work to protect us have exceeded this mandate, as few of them have the priviledge of knowing
those they humbly serve. I ask that you would provide them the cooling comfort of your hand upon
their burning skin. Provide for and protect their families throughout the remainder of their days. BN
Name: George "Bo" Burton
Rank: Firefighter/Rotor Craft Pilot
Status: Career
Age: 48
Date of Incident: June 4, 2000
Date of Death: June 4, 2000
Fire Dept.: District Manager Hank Graham, Division of Forestry, 10941 Palm Beach Blvd., Ft. Myers, Florida 33905, berczib@doacs.state.fl.us
Preliminary Determination of the Cause of Death: Died from injuries sustained from helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire in Lee County, Florida.
Name: Lyndell Smith
Rank: Firefighter
Status: Volunteer
Age: 46
Date of Incident: June 1, 2000
Date of Death: June 1, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Rick Volavka, Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department, 14 West Central, Caldwell, Kansas 67022
Preliminary Determination of the Cause of Death: Died from injuries sustained in fire apparatus accident while responding to a motor vehicle accident.
Funeral: Sunday, June 4, 2000
Name: Evan Shirk
Rank: Firefighter
Status: Volunteer
Age: 27
Date of Incident: May 27, 2000
Date of Death: May 27, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Kent Papen, Moreau Fire Protection District, 1 Industrial Park Drive, Eldon, Missouri 65026, moreau@2ultra.com
Preliminary Determination of the Cause of Death: Died from massive head trauma sustained in fire apparatus accident (driving) on return from scene of incident.
Funeral: May 31, 2000, Pleasant Hill Church, Latham, Missouri
Name: Air Tactical Group Supervisor Sam Tobias (Age 47)
Name: Contract Pilot Leo Koponen (Age 49)
Status: Career
Date of Incident: May 15, 2000
Date of Death: May 15, 2000
Fire Department: Supervisor Jose Martinez, U.S. Forest Service, Lincoln National Forest, 11 New York Avenue, Alamogordo, New Mexico 88310
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident during support of suppression activities related to the New Mexico wildfires.
Name: Kenneth Jesse
Rank: Fire Police Officer
Age: 80
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: May 8, 2000
Date of Death: May 8, 2000
Fire Dept.: Chief Richard Moser, P.O. Box 211, Harford, Pennsylvania 18823
Cause of Death: Heart attack upon returning to fire station after performing fire police officer duties at the scene of a vehicle fire.
Funeral: May 11, 2000, Harford, Pennsylvania
Name: Carl Ray Payne
Rank: Pilot
Age: 66
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 05/07/2000
Date of Death: 05/07/2000
Fire Department: Texas Forest Service - Rural Fire Defense, PO Box 310, Lufkin, TX 75901
Cause of Death: After dropping water from an "Air Tractor" water tanker on a portion of the Cook Branch Wildfire, Firefighter Payne's plane struck a radio tower and crashed.
Name: Arnold Blankenship, III
Rank: Second Assistant Chief
Age: 27
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: April 30, 2000
Date of Death: April 30, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Thomas E. Jones, Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company #1, Inc., P.O. Box 1, Greenwood, Delaware 19950
Cause of Death: Died from carbon monoxide inhalation and thermal burns during a controlled burn exercise.
Funeral: Thursday, May 4, 2000, Greenwood, Delaware
Name: David J. Liston
Rank: Smokejumper
Age: 28
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 04/29/00
Date of Death: 04/29/00
Fire Department: Bureau of Land Management/Alaska Fire Service
Cause of Death: Died from injuries sustained in parachute training jump involving parachute malfunction(s).
Name: Robert Cowey Brannon
Rank: Lieutenant
Age: 43
Status: Career
Date of Incident: April 26, 2000
Date of Death: May 4, 2000
Fire Dept.: Chief Gerald Steele, Bluefield Fire Department, 101 Bluefield Avenue, Bluefield, West Virginia 24701
Cause of Death: Heart attack at scene of residential fire.
Funeral: May 8, 2000, Bluefield, West Virginia
Name: L.C. Merrell
Rank: Lieutenant
Age: 43
Status: Career
Date of Incident: April 29, 2000
Date of Death: April 29, 2000
Fire Department: Chief James Joyce, Chicago Fire Department, 121 North LaSalle Street, Room 105, Chicago, IL 60602
Cause of Death: Ejected from ladder truck when hit by a landscape truck while enroute to a false alarm.
Name: Frederick L. Brain
Rank: Fire Police
Age: 76
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: March 19, 2000
Date of Death: April 24, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Neal Flatley, Miller Place Fire Department, 12 Miller Place Road, Miller Place, New York 11764
Cause of Death: Apparent heart attack at the scene of a motor vehicle accident.
Funeral: April 27, 2000, Sound Beach, New York
Name: Ricky L. Davis
Rank: Firefighter/Paramedic
Age: 33
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 4/20/00
Date of Death: 4/20/00
Fire Dept.: Chief Paul D. Hunnicutt, Center Point Fire and Rescue, Center Point Fire District, P.O. Box 9651, Birmingham, AL 35220, www.centerpointfire.com
Cause of Death: Fell through floor at a residential structure fire.
Name: Michael Baughn
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 46
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 4/11/00
Date of Death: 4/11/00
Fire Dept.: Chief Daniel E. Fowler, Washington Fire Department, 136 North Fayette Street, Washington Courthouse, Ohio 43160
Cause of Death: Apparent heart attack at training exercise.
Funeral: 4/15/00, Washington Courthouse, Ohio
Name: James Griffith
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 25
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 4/7/00
Date of Death: 4/7/00
Fire Department: Chief Dale Cleghorn, Winterset Volunteer Fire Department, c/o City Hall, Winterset, Iowa 50273
Cause of Death: Died as a result of massive injuries and trauma received when struck by steel debris from an exploding tank. Firefighter Griffith was fighting a grass fire.
Funeral: 4/12/00, Guthrie Center, Iowa
Name: David Maisano
Rank: Captain
Age: 38
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 4/4/00
Date of Death: 4/8/00
Fire Dept.: Chief Ron Bruner, Tritown Fire Department, 1508 West 11th Street, Mio, Michigan 48647
Cause of Death: To Be Determined - Possible complications from fall off the top of parked fire apparatus as he was putting away hose.
Funeral: 4/12/00, Mio, Michigan
Name: Kendall Bryant
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 36
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 3/31/00
Date of Death: 3/31/00
Fire Dept.: Chief Allan Peek, Layton Fire Department, 530 North 2200 West, Layton, Utah 84041
Cause of Death: Died from smoke inhalation while fighting a residential fire.
Funeral: 4/4/00, Clearfield, Utah
Name: Mike Queen
Rank: Chief
Age: 30
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 3/28/00
Date of Death: 3/28/00
Fire Department: Assistant Chief Buff Green, Rabun County Fire Department - Station 1, Emergency Lane, Clayton, Georgia 30525
Cause of Death: Died as a result of injuries received when struck by a hose during a hose test.
Funeral: 3/31/00, Clayton, Georgia
Name: Lamar Y'Barbo
Rank: Forest Technician III
Age: 55
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 3/13/00
Date of Death: 4/7/00
Fire Department: Director James Hull, Texas Forest Service, 301 Tarrow Street, College Station, Texas 77840
Cause of Death: Died as a result of burns received from a motor vehicle accident at a prescribed burn.
Funeral: 4/11/00, Kirbyville, Texas
Name: Kevin F. Sterenchuk
Rank: Administrative District Chief
Age: 48
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 3/27/00
Date of Death: 3/27/00
Fire Dept.: Chief Stephen Haulik, Cedar Rapids Fire Department, 222 Third Street, NW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52405
Cause of Death: Collapsed while performing administrative duties at the fire department.
Name: David Clements Sharp, II
Rank: Firefighter/Engineer
Age: 31
Status: Career
Date of Incident: March 17, 2000
Date of Death: March 17, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Pete Piner, City of Fayetteville Fire Department, 433 Hay Street, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301
Cause of Death: Died from injuries sustained when fire apparatus was struck by a train while returning from an incident.
Funeral: March 21, 2000, Aberdeen, North Carolina
Name/Age: Lieutenant Javier Lerma
Age: 41
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 3/8/00
Date of Death: 3/8/00
Fire Dept.: Director Chester Anderson, Memphis Fire Department, 65 South Front Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Cause of Death: Shot to death while responding to a residential fire.
Name/Age: Private William Blakemore
Age: 48
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 3/8/00
Date of Death: 3/8/00
Fire Dept.: Director Chester Anderson, Memphis Fire Department, 65 South Front Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Cause of Death: Shot to death while responding to a residential fire.
Name: Robert Buhler
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 62
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: March 6, 2000
Date of Death: March 15, 2000
Fire Dept.: Chief Kevin Hanten, Delmont Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 126, Delmont, South Dakota 57330
Cause of Death: Died from burns sustained while fighting a wildland fire.
Name: David Paul Sutton
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 27
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 3/4/00
Date of Death: 3/4/00
Fire Dept.: Director Joseph Palazzola, Fraser Department of Public Safety, 33000 Garfield Road, Fraser, Michigan 48026
Cause of Death: Died from smoke inhalation while performing rescue of residents at a two-story apartment building fire.
Name: Robert J. Jackson
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 35
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 2/29/00
Date of Death: 2/29/00
Fire Department: Harmony Volunteer Fire Department, Chief Dale Nanney, P.O. Box 1114, Atoka, Oklahoma 74525
Cause of Death: Died from injuries sustained when fire apparatus collided with another vehicle. Firefighter Jackson was enroute to a grass fire.
Funeral: 3/3/00, Atoka, Oklahoma
Name: James Geiger
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 54
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: February 19, 2000
Date of Death: February 19, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Bill Wilkins, City of Defiance Fire Department, 702 West Third Street, Defiance, Ohio 43512
Cause of Death: Heart attack whle returning from EMS call.
Funeral: 2/23/00
Name: Firefighter Lewis Mayo, III
Age: 44
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 2/14/00
Date of Death: 2/14/00
Fire Department: Chief Lester Tyra, Houston Fire Department, 1205 Dart Street, Houston, Texas 77007
Cause of Death: Died as the result of a roof collapse while searching for an injured firefighter at a McDonald's restaurant fire.
Funeral: Memorial Service - 2/16/00, Houston, Texas
Name: Firefighter Kimberly Smith
Age: 30
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 2/14/00
Date of Death: 2/14/00
Fire Department: Chief Lester Tyra, Houston Fire Department, 1205 Dart Street, Houston, Texas 77007
Cause of Death: Died as the result of a roof collapse while searching for an injured firefighter at a McDonald's restaurant fire.
Funeral: Memorial Service - 2/16/00, Houston, Texas
Name: Richard Spink
Rank: Fire Lieutenant
Age: 48
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 2/13/00
Date of Death: 2/13/00
Fire Department: Chief Steve Stacey, Ft. Campbell Fire Department, Attn: AFZB-DPS-F, Indiana and 25th Street, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky 42223-5000
Cause of Death: Heart attack during training exercise.
Funeral: 2/16/00, Clarksville, Kentucky
Name: Christopher Whelan
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 30
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 2/13/00
Date of Death: 2/13/00
Fire Department: Chief Donald Haupt, Jr., Norfolk Fire and Paramedical Services, 100 Brooke Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23510
Cause of Death: Heart attack while in transport between stations for fill in.
Name: Paul Eugene Cooper
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 27
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: February 11, 2000
Date of Death: February 14, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Harold Jones, Hoopa Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 369, Hoopa, California 95546-0369
Cause of Death: Died from injuries sustained when fire apparatus veered off the road and struck a tree. Firefighter Cooper was enroute to a motor vehicle accident.
Funeral: 2/19/00
Name: Walter Gass
Rank: Captain
Age: 74
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 1/27/00
Date of Death: 1/27/00
Fire Department: Chief Joseph Schmidt, Sealy Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 736, Sealy, Texas 77474
Preliminary Cause of Death: Died from burns sustained while fighting a residential house fire.
Funeral: 1/31/00, Sealy, Texas
Name: Lee A. Purdy
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 57
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 1/8/00
Date of Death: 1/8/00
Fire Department: Chief Paul Lee, Invincible Fire Company, 200 South Canal, Spencerville, Ohio 45887
Cause of Death: Apparent heart attack at scene of residential structure fire.
Funeral: 1/11/00, Spencerville, Ohio
Name: Robert Pollard
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 64
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: December 31, 1999
Date of Death: January 1, 2000
Fire Department: Chief Jerry Bell, Southern Stone County Fire Protection District, P.O. Box 10053, Kimberling City, Missouri 68586
Cause of Death: Collapsed while responding to a brush fire. Died the following day of a cerebral bleed.
Funeral: Unknown at this time.
Tribute is being paid to these firefighters at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/ffmem
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