Neb. fire chief remembered after death

OMAHA, Neb. — Police discovered the body of a fire chief hanging from a bridge in Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday morning.

Police are investigating the death of Fire Chief Kyle Ienn, 40, of the Ralston Volunteer Fire Department as a suicide, according the Omaha World-Herald.

"Kyle sees the big picture, way beyond Ralston," retired firefighter Mike Bolte told the World-Herald. "From his work with the National Fallen Firefighters to what he's done with fireworks safety, he saw things in a way bigger world.

"And he was a volunteer. That's what was most special about Kyle. He did all this and it wasn't even something he was paid to do."

Dozens of Ralston firefighters gathered at the home of Chief Ienn and his wife as word spread of his death.

Chief Ienn grew the ranks of Ralston volunteer firefighters to 56, an all-time high, by the end of 2011. He was also an advocate and expert on smoke-free housing and fireworks safety.

Assistant Fire Chief Joe Eischeid will be taking over Chief Ienn's administrative and operational duties.

"It's going to be tough," he told the World-Herald. "We train so that we know what to expect in a situation, but a lot of guys in there just don't know what to say about this."

"It's a really sad day for our community," Ralston Mayor Don Groesser said. "We've lost a dear friend, we've lost our fire chief. The city is just suffering a tremendous loss right now."