By Mary Pickels
The Tribune-Review
EXPORT, Pa. — An Export firefighter his chief called “one of the best” died early Sunday after he apparently fell down a set of stairs at a co-worker’s residence and struck his head.
Stephen Lawrence Paha, 53, of 5849 Grant Ave. went to a home in Unity after a work Christmas party so he would not have to drive home late at night, according to state police.
Paha was employed by Airo Die Casting in Loyalhanna, where he worked as a machinist. A call to the company for comment was not returned yesterday.
“Stevie was one of my best friends. He was a good friend to all of us,” Export volunteer fire Chief Stephen Opsitnick Jr. said Monday.
Paha had been a member of the fire department since the mid-1970s, Opsitnick said, and remained on the roster of active firefighters.
“He was not coming around as much. I think it was because of his knee,” Opsitnick said.
A police report noted that Paha had a bad right knee and was scheduled for replacement surgery within the next few weeks.
Sometime between 12:45 and 5:45 a.m., Paha apparently tried to enter the basement at his co-worker’s home and fell down a flight of steps, police said. The back of his head struck a cinder-block exterior wall, police said.
The death was listed as accidental on a news release from state police at Greensburg.
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office has not ruled on the manner and cause of death, pending autopsy and toxicology results.
“He was a good firefighter. He was also the kind of person you could call if you needed help, or just someone to talk to. He never said no if we needed a hand down here,” Opsitnick said.
“You know how everyone tends to say, ‘We lost a good person.’ Truth be told, with Stevie it was 100 percent true. We’re just devastated here. I think, in the community, we’re all in a state of shock. ... He was just a great, great person. We put his gear in front of the fire hall with a black wreath. When I saw it this morning, I was hoping it was a dream,” Opsitnick said.
Paha’s funeral arrangements are being handled by Wolfe-Von Geis Funeral Home Inc. in Export.
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