Firefighters from Oceanside, NY Fire Department offered a final salute Tuesday to a colleague.
Firefighter Keith Lane, 53, died Aug. 27 after responding to a crash with his department.
Later that evening, his daughter called 911 after finding him unresponsive on the floor.
Emergency personnel determined he had died. The cause of death is pending.
This brings to 54 the number of firefighters who have died on duty this year.
On its Facebook page, Oceanside fire officials wrote: "Keith's passing has created a void in our department that we cannot even begin to understand at this time. Besides a very active firefighter, Keith handled most of the departments public relations including as the Co-Administrator of this page. His selfless dedication to making his company and this department better will be impossible to replace. Our hearts are broken and we are still too numb to truly feel his loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved daughter Tara, his family, friends and colleagues and the thousands of lives he's touched over the years. As one member stated earlier we have some pretty big shoes to fill."
