The two Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District firefighters killed in an ambulance crash Sunday night have been identified. One member died just days before they marked their first anniversary with the department.
Brenna Kulikowski, 31, and Damon Thompson, 21, were killed in a head-on collision between their ambulance and another vehicle on State Route 260 between Show Low and Heber-Overgaard.
Kulikowski had been with the fire district for three years, while Thompson was just 15 days from completing his first year with the department, according to a post from the fire district.
“(Brenna) was certainly top-notch and such a compassionate person and a fantastic paramedic,” Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District Chief Randy Chevalier told AZFamily.com. “Damon’s parents said Damon always wanted to be a firefighter and he was a dang good firefighter,"
The two were returning to their Show Low station after leaving a hospital from an interfacility transport.
Arizona Department of Public Safety is working to identify the occupant of the other vehicle involved in the crash, which happened around 10 p.m.
“Head-on collision, extreme damage. And I’ve been on a lot of accidents over my career. And it was, it was horrific," Chevalier told AZFamily.
"TMFMD is grateful for the community will support and loved during trying time we would like to show our appreciation to all the partner agencies who have stepped in the support TMFMD during the tragic event, including the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona," the department wrote in a statement.
"The TMFMD would like to share our deepest condolences to the family of this occupant," the department shared.
