BEAUMONT, Texas — An investigation is under way into the death of a firefighter following a smoke diver training exercise.
Capt. Neal Smith, 46, of the Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department died Monday as a result of heat exhaustion following a smoke diver training session over the weekend, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Program is in the process of planning the investigation and will go to the site of the incident in October.
An officer from the Texas Fire Marshal’s Office in Austin will also be assigned to investigating Capt. Smith’s death.
The “Texas Smoke diver” is a two-day training class taught in a six-story tower structure in a fire facility. The advanced course is meant to teach firefighters how to function and survive in a smoke-filled interior while wearing full gear and breathing equipment. A course description says the training is “extremely challenging, intensely physical, and will take the student to his/her limit.”
Another firefighter, Otis Alford, 34, was also taken to the hospital in critical condition following the class, but has been released.
Capt. Smith’s funeral service will take place Monday morning, according to the Atascocita Fire Department website.