SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Santa Clara County, Calif. Battalion Chief Rob Van Wormer, 47, was in Santa Cruz conducting an investigation Saturday when he lost consciousness, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Numerous attempts were made to revive him and he was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
Chief Van Wormer has been with Cal Fire for 24 years and headed the Santa Clara fire prevention unit. He previously acted as a helitack captain and head of aircraft operations for Cal Fire’s statewide incident command team.
Many were shocked and saddened by Chief Van Wormer’s death.
“I’ve been getting many, many calls from people to say how sorry and shocked they are. He touched a lot of people and was just one of those incredibly likable guys,” Cal Fire spokeswoman Angela Bernheisel said.
No additional information was released about the cause of Van Wormer’s death.