September 2008 LODDs

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From Firehouse.com:

Three Firefighters Killed in Nevada Air Tanker Crash

RENO, Nev. --

An air tanker hoping to drop retardant on a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada crashed on takeoff near Reno on Monday, killing all three crew members on board.

The twin-engine P2V air tanker owned by Neptune Aviation of Missoula, Mont., had been fighting a wildfire earlier in the day that had forced evacuations over the weekend in California's Alpine County near Hope Valley south of Lake Tahoe, Reno fire spokesman Steve Frady said Monday night.

Names of the three confirmed dead in the crash had not been released, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Preliminary reports from witnesses suggested the tanker lost a piece of its engine or a wing after its 6:11 p.m. takeoff from Reno-Stead Airport before it caught fire and went down about a half-mile away, he said.

The crash started a small brush fire that local crews extinguished, Frady said. He said the debris field from the crash covered approximately 5 square miles northwest of the airport northeast of U.S. Highway 395.

"It was full of fuel and retardant and had been on the Hope Valley fire and apparently was headed back to make one last drop," Frady told The Associated Press.

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From Firehouse.com:

Ohio Firefighter Collapses, Dies While On Duty

Gallipolis Firefighter Greg Northup died on Wednesday, Sept. 3 while on special work detail, according to the department.

Captain Jim Johnson said the 55-year-old firefighter was assisting with watering down a house the department was demolishing for the city.

At approximately 5:45 p.m., Northup walked into the offices of the Gallipolis Daily Tribune and collapsed inside the door. Johnson was not aware why Northup entered the building.

"He was the funny guy on the department, he was the one that would always make people laugh," Johnson said. "He was the cut up guy; he'd kept things interesting.

"He was always willing to help somebody."

Northup was a seven-year veteran of the Gallipolis Fire Department and his brother, Robert, is a safety officer. Both are the nephews of retired Fire Chief James A Northup.

Funeral arrangements are still pending.

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From Firehouse.com:

Louisiana Firefighter Dies in Inspection Accident

A 30-year veteran firefighter was killed on the job in Gretna Monday, in what appears to be a freak accident.

Fire Chief Bobby Black said Firefighter Ralph Arabie, 48, was showing an insurance claims adjustor an aerial view of damages from Hurricane Gustav, using the station's bucket truck.

"He was outside of the bucket, on the back of the truck, standing up and operating the truck at that time," said Chief Black.

Arabie was lowering the boom, when it struck him from behind and pinned him to the truck.

Chief Black says all firefighters are trained on this piece of equipment, and there does not appear to be any mechanical failure.

"It appears to be accidental. We are conducting an investigation," said Deputy Chief of Police Charles Whitmer.

Arabie served the David Crockett Fire Company for 30 years as a paid pump operator and was a Fire Prevention Supervisor for the Gretna Fire Board and also a Gretna Police Officer. He was also instrumental in setting up and conducting fire prevention classes especially for school children and the elderly, according to a department spokesman. He was awarded a Medal of Valor from Fire Chief Bobby Black for outstanding service given to the City of Gretna during Hurricane Katrina.

Meanwhile, colleagues struggled with the sudden loss.

"We called the Critical Incident Stress De-briefing Team in. They are here right now. We're going to gather them together and talk to the firefighters. We have a lot of young firefighters who have never seen anything like this before," Chief Black said.

People who live nearby know the firefighters at the David Crockett Fire Station, and said they are feeling their loss.

"They are our first line, they are our boys, and I'd hate to see that happen to anybody," said Bobby Rice, who lives across the street from the fire station.

"These guys protect our lives everyday, so it's shocking that something happened. It's just devastating," said neighbor Bobbie Boartfield.

The firefighter is one of about 18 paid employees, with a staff of more than 30 volunteers.