A veteran battalion chief with the San Francisco Fire Department was found unresponsive in his office Sunday after an early morning fire alarm call and was later pronounced dead.
According to a news release from the department, Battalion Chief Terry Smerdel had been a member of the department since Oct. 15, 1991, and assigned to Battalion 9 since January.
The release says Smerdel was working a shift at Battalion 1 and had returned from an alarm call before he was later found unresponsive by a co-worker. Advanced Life Support measures were immediately initiated. He was pronounced deceased surrounded by his fire department family and was later joined by the department's chaplain and the Smerdel family.
"Terry was a valued member of our Department, and loved by all," San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said in the release. "He was a devoted family man; Great Husband, Father, Grandfather, and Brother. He will be greatly missed by his Fire Department family. I want to thank Terry for his 26 years of dedicated service to the San Francisco Fire Department, and the City and County of San Francisco."
As a mark of respect, San Francisco Fire Department flags will be lowered to half-staff until further notice. Details regarding funeral arrangements are pending.
