SPAFFORD, N.Y. -- A Borodino volunteer firefighter died after complaining of trouble breathing while responding to a barn collapse on Saturday evening, according to The Post-Standard.
Firefighter Gerard Marcheterre was en route to the scene in a pumper truck, when he alerted his brother, Second Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Marcheterre. An ambulance met the tanker at the Spafford Fire Department, but the 50-year-old's condition had already deteriorated, according to the report.
Marcheterre, one of seven children, suffered from mental illness after his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck at birth. He joined the fire department more than a decade ago.
"He knew the rescue trucks inside and out," his brother told the newspaper. "Being in the line of duty and so sudden, it hit (the firefighters) hard. He had his medical problems (with diabetes) but he was also active. It was a wakeup to us that we need to treat our bodies better."
His cause of death has not been determined.
