Line-of-Duty Death (LODD)
The FireRescue1 line-of-duty death page provides ongoing coverage and resources related to firefighter deaths that occur while on duty. The page compiles breaking news, incident updates and memorial coverage honoring firefighters who died during emergency response, training or other job-related duties, while helping the fire service stay informed and reflect on lessons that may help prevent future tragedies.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation supports the families of firefighters who die in the line of duty through resources, programs and remembrance efforts that honor fallen fire heroes and help their loved ones rebuild their lives. Learn more about how to support firefighter families through the NFFF.
Last week, Jim Maxwell, a 73-year-old father of two, died fighting the Falls fire in eastern Oregon when the single-engine air tanker he flew went missing
Wichita Firefighter Ty Voth, 27, was a five-year veteran of the department
Firefighter Shawn Calvey, 37, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in May 2023
Firefighter Richard Crosby, 67, suffered a cardiac arrest during a fire call on Sept. 24; he was taken off life support
Fire investigators say they dismissed the earlier report as the theory wasn’t supported by evidence; a man is charged with setting a fire where two Toledo firefighters died
Timothy Pierce, the EMT injured in the back of the ambulance at the time of the crash, attended the funeral
Stuart Hardy, 31, suffered an extensive brain injury; he leaves behind a wife and three young daughters
Barry Miller, 50, was in the front-passenger seat of the ambulance when it rear-ended a slow-moving construction vehicle
One firefighter gave $40 to the manager and said the elderly woman’s meal would be covered the next time she visited the restaurant
Daniel Hampton’s teenage dream would have come true to become a full-time firefighter; he leaves behind his wife and four children
The memorial was remodeled and 3,830 names were added to its granite walls in honor of firefighters and paramedics who died between Feb. 28, 1918 and Dec. 31, 1975
The firefighter/EMT was driving the ambulance at the time of the rear-end collision; he leaves behind a wife and four children
Fire chief: “He was everything we value in America, everything we value in our fire department, everything we value in our families. He was a good man.”
Chief Maywood Gaskins suffered a cardiac arrest following training at the firehouse; the ambulance transporting him crashed en route to a hospital
Daryl Gordon plunged headfirst into an elevator shaft just after a fellow firefighter wrote a warning on its door in the dark, smoky building
Grant Taylor, 22, who has a history of traffic violations, was ordered held without bond until a hearing next week
During an MDA boot drive, a motorist circled back and deliberately hit the 35-year-old Lansing, Mich. firefighter
Investigation found the program mired in delays for more than a decade, despite millions of dollars spent on audits and efforts to hire legal help to speed processing claims
Gregory Brown was found guilty of three counts of second-degree murder for the 1995 fire that killed firefighters Thomas Brooks, Patricia Conroy and Marc Kolenda
Shane Clifton, 38, said he wasn’t feeling well after exercising; he leaves behind two children
Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell:"They dedicated their lives to protecting our national forests and the people in the communities surrounding them. And for that we should be grateful.”
When the boy heard about the Wash. firefighters who died recently, he wrote a letter and put together a memory box for the firefighters and their families
Lt. Randy Parker, 46, was killed in February when a floor collapsed during a house fire
Fire officials said Lt. Chris Phillips died due to natural causes
The documents don’t say why the crash occurred, but does illustrate a common problem on how to stay safe in unpredictable shifting winds
The scholarship will be open to students who are dependents of fallen responders, including firefighters, paramedics and police officers
Lawrence Sesso, 40, suffered a cardiac arrest on his way home
Officials hope Daniel Lyon, 25, can shed light on the details of the wreck that claimed three U.S. Forest Service firefighters
One had fallen in love with firefighting and wanted to make it a career; another was following his parents’ footsteps
The firefighters were identified as Tom Zbyszewski, 20, Andrew Zajac, 26, and Richard Wheeler, 31; survivor Daniel Lyon, 25, suffered burns to over 60 percent of his body
Not knowing the hazardous materials they faced or how to address them doomed an under-trained firefighting force
Part of understanding why so many firefighters died in the recent explosions is knowing how their fire service is structured
