The image that North Pole Fire Department Chief Buddy Lane will retain of Quinton Costello is one of a dedicated volunteer who would do anything to help.
"He was forever coming into my office saying, 'Hey, chief, I've got an idea,' and it was always a good idea," Lane said of Costello, who volunteered in the department for the past three years. "He was always willing to do something."
Costello, a 33-year-old University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher, died in a helicopter crash on Friday on the North Slope when he was struck by the aircraft's rotor blade, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson, who examined the crash scene and spoke to the pilot.
The pilot and two other UAF researchers in the helicopter suffered only minor injuries.
The pilot and two other UAF researchers in the helicopter suffered only minor injuries.
Costello was part of a team conducting snow surveys throughout the Kuparuk River watershed as part of a long-term, climate-change study program funded by the National Science Foundation.
According to Johnson, the pilot was trying to set the helicopter down after encountering low visibility and flat light when the accident occurred in a remote region about 58 miles southwest of Deadhorse.
"They were dealing with weather conditions that cropped up when they were out there and they were attempting to set back down to wait out the weather," said Johnson.
The helicopter, a Bell 206 operated by Air Logistics of Alaska Inc. of Fairbanks, rolled over onto its right side and the rotor blade broke when it contacted the ground, he said. Costello was riding in the left front seat and was struck by the broken blade.
The mood at UAF's Water and Environmental Research Center, where Costello worked as the lab manager since 2000, was somber on Monday.
"It's going to hit our lab hard," WERC research professor Larry Hinzman said of Costello's death. "Running the lab is a huge part of our program."
Costello, who earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from UAF in 1994 before obtaining his master's from the University of Utah in 1996, taught laboratory and field-safety classes. He was responsible for setting up and testing equipment and was in charge of all laboratory analysis, said Hinzman.
Doug Kane, director of WERC, described Costello as "very competent" and said he redefined the lab manager's position at WERC.
"He had much broader abilities than we anticipated," said Kane.
For example, Hinzman said, Costello had recently devised a way to make it easier for researchers to measure dissolved oxygen in ice-covered ponds on the North Slope by using a bottle with a vacuum in it that could be filled and sealed under the water.
"He was always looking for better ways to do things," Hinzman said.
Safety was Costello's No. 1 concern, Hinzman said. He served as the lab's hazardous waste manager and was vigilant in all aspects when it came to safety.
"He made sure nobody did anything dumb in terms of storing chemicals appropriately and disposing of waste materials appropriately," said Hinzman. "Nobody was able to work in the lab unless Quinton checked them off."
If a research crew was going to work in an area where there were bears, Costello would make sure they were trained in bear safety. If a crew was going to be carrying a gun, he made sure they had training in gun safety.
"He was one of those guys you just asked him once and he did it," said Kane.
When he wasn't at UAF, Costello moonlighted as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. Since joining the department in 2000, Costello had put in almost 1,300 volunteer hours, said Lane.
"He's definitely going to be missed," the fire chief said.
Lane described Costello as a "behind-the-scenes kind of guy" who was good at whatever he did. When Costello volunteered as an EMT and was told he had to be both a firefighter and EMT to work for the department, he went through all the required training and developed into a top-notch firefighter, the chief said.
"He did the firefighting thing in order to ride the ambulance," Lane said.
Costello was not married and had no children.
A memorial service for Costello will be held on Thursday at Bethel Baptist Church on Farmer's Loop at 2:30 p.m. Hinzman expects the church to be crowded.
"My phone's been ringing every minute," Hinzman said. "He's a got a lot of friends in this town. He was just such a wonderful guy."
Memorial donations in Costello's name can be made to the North Pole Fire Department.
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