A volunteer firefighter in a small rural community north of Detroit has died at his home following several responses.
The Memphis Fire Department announced in a release that firefighter Robert James Phillips III died early Sunday morning, and reports say his wife found him unresponsive at 6:30 a.m. and called 911. His colleagues with the Memphis department responded and he was pronounced dead.
Phillips reportedly responded to two incidents in the previous 24 hours.
The fire department said in its release that the 62-year-old served the agency for 39 years, and an obituary posted by the Kammeraad-Merchant Funeral Home says the firefighter also served at one time as chief.
"Bob was the foundation of our department," firefighter Cameron Greer wrote in a Facebook post. "For 39 years he dedicated his time to serving his community. He trained countless probies, myself included, responded to calls, but most importantly he taught us all what it actually meant to be a fireman. He was a great man and I was lucky to know him and serve with him."
Phillips is survived by his wife of 41 years, Sandra, along with two sons, a daughter and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 2 p.m to 8 p.m. at the the Kammeraad-Merchant Funeral Home in Memphis, where a funeral service will also be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. before Phillips is laid to rest at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.
