A Georgia firefighter died at his station while working his first shift over the weekend.
Efren Medina, 20, was a newly hired firefighter with the St. Marys Fire Department and was on his first 24-hour shift Saturday, the department stated in an online update. He had returned to sleep after his first call at around 3:30 a.m., but when his fellow firefighters awoke the next morning, they found him unresponsive, WTLV-TV reports.
"He was known for his long time passion for firefighting and his love of the fire service," the department stated.
Fire Chief Tom Lackner told WTLV the department was waiting for the medical examiner's report to determine the cause of death. Lackner called Medina young and eager, and he said that the new firefighter had passed his physical and agility tests.
"A 20-year-old shouldn't be going," he said. "You never think that somebody 20 years old isn't going to wake up from their sleep."
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Medina's widow pay funeral costs and other expenses. It already has raised more than $4,000.
