An Idaho firefighter died in the line of duty Wednesday when his vehicle left the roadway and went over a cliff while he was transporting supplies to the scene of a wildfire.
Alan Jeffrey Koval, 41, had volunteered with the Inkom Fire Department for about two years, said Chief Chris Ottonello.
"He had gone to town to pick up some supplies for us and on his way he was in an accident," the chief said.
Koval was traveling on I-15 in a city-owned Chevy pickup when the accident occurred. There were no other vehicles involved. Pocatello ambulance officials responded but found Koval dead at the scene.
Koval is survived by his wife and three children; an eight-year-old son and daughters ages 11 and 12. He also has a baby due in two weeks, Ottonello said.
Koval volunteered as a firefighter and an EMT, and he made a living as a maintenance worker for the city of Inkom. "He was just a really good guy, really community oriented," Ottonello said. "He's going to be missed."
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Inkom LDS Church, with the burial to follow at Inkom Cemetery. Ottonello said it will be a firefighter funeral with a color guard present from the BLM and the Forest Service.
The Inkom Fire Department is a volunteer department with 14 firefighters and six EMTs, and serves a population of about 3,000 over an area of 25 square miles. The brush fire they were working had reached 100 acres on Tuesday, but was contained and being monitored for hot spots as of Thursday.
