LON SLEPICKA
Firehouse.com News
A Maple Rapids, Michigan firefighter was killed by a falling tree while
deploying to the outskirts of town to watch for dangerous weather and
tornadoes.
Fire Chief James Blemaster said the reports of bad weather the evening of
Oct. 24, sent several firefighters to sentry duty. Michael Elliott was
driving first to pick up and move his daughter-in-law out of what was
thought the bad weather’s path. On the way, a four-foot oak fell and crushed
his car. "We tell our firefighters to take care of their family first,"
Blemaster said.
Elliott, an 18-year veteran of the department who stood 6’4" and weighed
over 300-pounds, loved to pick on people and never met a stranger, according
to Blemaster. "I called him 'big gentle Ben', he was a nice guy to be
around," Blemaster said.
Elliott was a truck driver for a local steel company. He and his wife Lori
have two married children. The funeral was held Oct. 27.
The Maple Rapids Volunteer Fire Department has 21 members on its register.
It is located about 30 miles northwest of Lancing.
