Line of Duty Death - FF 686

Last Sunday evening an alarm for a grass fire came in to the Fort Wayne FD.  As the first units made the scene a request was made for a Tanker from a local department because there were no hydrants in the area for water supply.  The Washington Twp. FD responded with T-163.  As this unit was en route the engineer lost control of the vehicle and rolled (reportedly 3 times), downing 3 electric utility poles and separating the tank from the chassis.  In the chaos that ensued the first units on the second scene (accident) could not make access to the Tank because of the electric lines (12kv).  Once the utility cleared the wires as de-energized, they crew began to attempt to get to the FF.

They found him under the tanker after having been ejected.  He had been pinned under the unit and was dead long before they could access him. 

I was driven to thought of when I was a fire fighter and the brotherhood that exists across the cities, counties, states and nation.  When a fire fighter dies, whether known by others or unknown, it is the loss of a brother, friend......A family member.  I have been in somber reflection all week as I still feel the attachment after almost 12 years removed.  I was  FF for 12 years myself.  I was a Fire Fighter, Lieutenant, then a Captain.  I had never had to experience a LODD that hit so close to home and I wish I didn't have to ever experience this.

As I drove to the funeral I thought about all of the times I had spent on a piece of fire apparatus en route to many different kinds of emergencies; Fires! Accidents!  Med runs!  The things I felt.  The things I thought of.  The emotions that my mind would go through as we responded to accidents and fires.  I remember thinking about things outside of the response.  Things of family and friends.

I remember as my wife and I began to have kids that things seemed to take a bit of a change because everything wasn't about "just me" any longer.  I had to take care of my own family.  What if I made a response to my own home or my wife and the girls were involved in a horrible accident.  Things took a turn for certain.  I also thought about what kind of emotions and suffering my family might have to deal with if I were to be killed in the line of duty.

Today I saw some of that pain.  But I also saw a true brotherhood come together in an overwhelming support of their family..................Their own family.  Hundreds of fire fighters from all over the state and out of state.  It was a very moving experience, yet one I am not interested in experiencing again in my lifetime.

Asst Chief/Engineer Mark Allen Haudenschild - 686

10-7 

10-24