HEATHER CASEY
Firehouse.com News

Roselle, N.J. Fire Department Lt. Earnest Ousley passed away Sept. 4 after becoming short of breath while on duty at the firehouse.

Chief Robert Hill could not specify the cause of death because no autopsy was performed, but said, "Something did stop his heart from beating." Ousley had been dispatching that day.

"One of our EMTs gave him oxygen and he started feeling a little better, but we called a medic unit," Hill said. Ousley, 49, was admitted to Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville at 5:26 p.m.

"He looked okay when he was admitted, but three to four hours later he took a turn," Hill said.

After 17 years of service with the fire department, Ousley died at about 10:30 p.m. He is survived by his wife, four grown sons and two brothers.

"He was my closest friend for the past 17 years," Hill said.

Ousley was a trustee in the Shiloh Baptist Church in Elizabeth and was active in the state Fireman's Mutual Benevolent Association and the New Jersey Firemen's Relief Association.

He supported the American Burn Association and helped raise over $90,000 for the Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation through aluminum can collections he started in 1987, Hill said.

Ousley was also a volunteer bus driver for senior citizen programs and for his church's bible study.

Hill noted that Ousley also loved sports, particularly basketball, and was very proud of his son for recently making the basketball team at Alabama A&M.

A funeral service, attended by 250 - 400 hundred firefighters from throughout the state, was held Tuesday at Shiloh Baptist Church, followed by a two-mile procession to the firehouse for a smaller ceremony.