Joseph H. Evans, a veteran firefighter who led several firefighting organizations, died while responding to a fire call, Bridgeville Fire Company announced Tuesday. He was 61.
Evans, a firefighter since the age of 20, was a past president of the Delaware State Fire Chiefs Association and was honored in 1968 as Bridgeville Fire Company's Fireman of the Year.
Evans apparently suffered a fatal heart attack Sunday after driving a truck to a reported fire scene, Bridgeville Fire Chief Jack Cannon said.
Evans will be buried Saturday, with a procession expected to include firefighters and apparatus from companies throughout Delaware and the region.
As engineer, Evans drove the first truck going to the site of a smoke-detector activation at 1:25 a.m. Sunday.
When he collapsed just after arriving, basic life support personnel from his company administered first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and transported him to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, where he died.
The fire call turned out to be a faulty alarm.
At the fire hall, a traditional black drape has been hung, symbolizing the loss and mourning of its 50 to 60 members.
"He was very dedicated, there's no question about that with the number of years he put in and the positions he held," Treasurer Pete Stephens said. "He was a good ambassador of the Bridgeville Fire Company."
On June 5, Evans marked his 41st year with the company, in a volunteer career that included leadership posts at the company, county, state and regional levels.
At Bridgeville's Station 72, he was director of supplies, chief engineer, assistant chief engineer and spent more than 15 years as first or second assistant chief.
Evans also had served as president of the Sussex County Firemen's Association and the Del-Mar-Va Volunteer Firemen's Association.
A viewing will be held from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Friday at Parsell-Hardesty Funeral Home, 202 Laws St., Bridgeville. The service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 2 William St., Bridgeville, with burial in Bridgeville Cemetery. Fellowship will follow at the fire hall at 315 Market St.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Box 21, Bridgeville, DE 19933 or Bridgeville Fire Company, Box 727, Bridgeville, DE 19933.
James L. Cubbage Jr., executive secretary of the Delaware Volunteer Firemen's Association, announced Evans' death on behalf of the Bridgeville Fire Company. Cubbage, who knew Evans well, said, "He was a good firefighter ... a good man."
