Three U.S. firefighters died recently in the line of duty. Two volunteer firefighters and one career firefighter died in three separate incidents. All three deaths were health related.
FIRE CHIEF HUGH FERGUSON, 52, of the Damon, TX, Volunteer Fire Department died on April 21. Ferguson collapsed from an apparent heart attack while establishing a water supply at the scene of a fire involving a vacant residential. Fellow firefighters initiated immediate care and he was transported by Life Flight to Memorial Hospital, where he died. Ferguson was a 36-year veteran of the fire service.
FIREFIGHTER CHARLES GOFF, 53, of the McQuady Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department in Falls of Rough, KY, died on April 27. Goff suffered a fatal heart attack several hours after returning home from a multiple-vehicle accident with multiple critically injured patients. Goff was a 30 year veteran of the fire service.
LIEUTENANT JEFFERY B. NEWLAND, 50, of the North Port, FL, Fire Rescue Department died on May 1. On April 23, approximately four hours after going off of a shift that included several emergency response calls, Newland suffered an aortic dissection. Newland was treated and transported to a local hospital, then flown to Health Park Hospital for specialized care, where he remained for more than a week before he passed away. Newland was a 14-year veteran of the fire service.
—Jay K. Bradish
