Hico, Texas: Legend has it that this is where Billy the Kid died an old man in 1950. After last week, however, I'm not going to be able to hear about this town without thinking about something else. On Tuesday, Nov 22, one of the latest line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) happened in Carlton, Texas-a little town 10 miles from Hico.

Rookie Firefighter Clint Rice was killed when the tanker he was driving rolled over. Clint was 28 years old, unbelted and ejected from the 1968 tanker. Rice had been a member of the Carlton Volunteer Fire Department for all of 3 months. Carlton is a town of approximately 70 people in a county of approximately 8,200. We must remember that LODDs can happen in any community, big or small. There's really not much to add to this except for one thing: Wear your damn seatbelt!

Also, just a quick FYI-Two weeks ago, a stokes harness failed during rescue training at a local department. The harness came apart as soon as the basket was loaded over the edge. The mannequin used for the victim fell smooth out of the basket and hit the ground with a solid "thud." I'm told that the harness is less than three years old and has been stored properly since purchased. I'm not sure what manufacturer this is, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible with more details.

FireRescue Technical Editor Scott Cook welcomes reader feedback, and invites you to contribute your notes to his column on firefighter ingenuity and street wisdom. You can reach Scott by e-mail at scott.cook1@sbcglobal.net.