LODD: Wash. firefighter found dead in bunk
The passing of Clallam County Fire District 3 Captain Charles “Chad” Cate "was completely unexpected,” IAFF 2933 wrote
Duty Death: Charles “Chad” Cate - [Sequim, Washington]
End of Service: 01/12/2023
By Leila Merrill
FireRescue1/EMS1
SEQUIM, Wash. — Captain Charles “Chad” Cate, 46, was found deceased in his bunk by fellow crewmembers Thursday morning, Clallam County Fire District 3 announced on Facebook.
“His passing was completely unexpected and has stunned his family, friends and brothers and sisters of the IAFF 2933 and his entire Clallam County Fire District 3 family,” the union posted on Facebook.
He had been seen at the station after a response to a call at a commercial building at about 2:25 a.m. Crews went to bed after the call.
In the news release, Fire Chief Ben Andrews said the district hired Cate as a firefighter-paramedic in 1997 and promoted him to captain in 2020.
Cate is survived by his wife and children.
“The district and its members are doing everything possible to support our fallen brother’s family, and we ask the community to join us as we keep them in our thoughts and prayers,” the news release reads.
