Weld County LODD, as paged

[jimmnn]

Very surprised no one has posted.

WELD COUNTY - A firefighter was killed Saturday morning when the fire engine he was driving crashed and rolled.

The Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District says the fire engine was en route to render aid to a sick and injured caller in Ault when the fire truck was involved in a crash.

The Colorado State Patrol says the firefighter, who has been identified as 33-year-old Capt. Shane Stewart, was driving the truck at the time of the crash. They say Stewart was driving just south of Pierce, Colo., at 6:20 a.m. on southbound Weld County Road 33 when he ran off the left side of the road, overcorrected and went off the right side of the road.

Troopers say that's when the truck rolled onto its roof, ejecting and killing the driver. According to the state patrol, there was no one else on the truck at the time. Troopers say Stewart was not wearing a seat belt.

"In my 20 years experience as a law enforcement officer, I have never had occasion to see a fire truck involved in a crash like this," said Paul Matzke, captain of the Colorado State Patrol for Weld County.

Fire officials say Stewart had been a volunteer member with the Ault-Pierce Fire Department since August 2004. His brother and father are also volunteers with the 21-member department. Stewart was employed with the Colorado Department of Transportation and was married with two young children.

"In these smaller towns, the departments are usually made up of mostly volunteers," said Matzke. "So, it's a close community. These folks all know each other and I'm sure this is a real tragedy for all involved in this community."

A vigil has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Pierce Fire Station.

 

[NorthCOVideo]

I didn't hear anything about what had happend, I have been hearing information pages about the vigil, but was curious as to what happend.

 

[WaveRunner]

Very sad news indeed.

 

[cstockmyer]

Does anyone know of where someone can make a donation to help his wife and kids?

 

[Blogger]

Very sad for his department, community and especially his family...

No seat belt ..... what ?!@#?(&^ hell?????

 

[NorthCOVideo]

This may not pertain to fire agencies, but I have heard that some law agencies are not required to use seat belts.

 

[Toneslider12]

Very sad indeed. Seat belts are so vital, I would be shocked to see an official department document that would allow an officer to be unrestrained. Just a few weeks ago a Prince George's County MD Firefighter wasn't restrained and fell out of a fire truck as it was making a turn because the door wasn't secured. I've heard that if Parker Fire catches a firefighter not wearing a seat belt they are required to donate a day of volunteering to Craig Rehab Hospital as a wake up call.

 

[Blogger]

This may not pertain to fire agencies, but I have heard that some law agencies are not required to use seat belts.

That has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard..

Whatever happened to "everyone goes home" "its not the ____(officer/firefighther's) emergency its the victims"

Unfortunately the fire service only learns when someone gets injured or killed... Thats why they don't ride on the tailboard anymore....

Its inexcusable.

Sad day for the family

 

[kc0kp]

The Colorado Springs Fire Department put out a safety poster two years ago. They had a rig totaled after an accident en route to a call. The poster has pictures of the destroyed engine and all of the guys who were on it. No serious injuries because everyone was belted in. Engines on one mountain department I know of will not go into first gear as long as the seat belt light is on.
The state law on seat belt use has no provisions for emergency drivers to be unbuckled, police, fire, and EMS included. If it has a seat belt, it must be used.

 

[firescannerbob]

I will not put my engine in gear until everyone is seated and belted in. Period. Best of all, no one argues with me about it.
Very sad indeed...

 

[Troop]

This may not pertain to fire agencies, but I have heard that some law agencies are not required to use seat belts.

Although law says exempt, most agencies have a policy set and you risk losing at least half of your insurance benefits if injured....below are the exemptions for info only

(b) A member of an ambulance team, other than the driver, while involved in patient care;

(c) A peace officer as described in section 16-2.5-101, C.R.S., while performing official duties so long as the performance of said duties is in accordance with rules and regulations applicable to said officer which are at least as restrictive as subsection (2) of this section and which only provide exceptions necessary to protect the officer;

(d) A person with a physically or psychologically disabling condition whose physical or psychological disability prevents appropriate restraint by a safety belt system if such person possesses a written statement by a physician certifying the condition, as well as stating the reason why such restraint is inappropriate;

(e) A person driving or riding in a motor vehicle not equipped with a safety belt system due to the fact that federal law does not require such vehicle to be equipped with a safety belt system;

(f) A rural letter carrier of the United States postal service while performing duties as a rural letter carrier; and

(g) A person operating a motor vehicle which does not meet the definition of "commercial vehicle" as that term is defined in section 42-4-235 (1) (a) for commercial or residential delivery or pickup service; except that such person shall be required to wear a fastened safety belt during the time period prior to the first delivery or pickup of the day and during the time period following the last delivery or pickup of the day.

The amazing part is I still pull over volunteer firemen and find them not to be wearing seatbelts....they see what I see...thought that would be enough to make you want to buckle up

 

[lmriggs]

When I was a kid in college, I had a night/weekend job driving a wrecker for a Ford agency down south. Of course, at the time there was no law requiring seatbelts. The overwhelming number of fatals I picked up were people who were not wearing belts. Many of them would have had minor to moderate injuries but likely would have still survived.

Starting with that job, I have always wore seat belts. It sure taught me a lesson.

 

[fireemt55]

USFA LODD Announcement - Including Memorial Fund Information

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Shane Stewart
Rank: Captain
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 3
Date of Incident: 02/23/2008
Time of Incident: 0615hrs
Date of Death: 02/23/2008

Fire Department: Ault-Pierce Fire Department
Address: 205 First St., PO Box 1069, Ault, CO 80610
Fire Department Chief: Scott Wagner

Incident Description: Captain Stewart responded to an emergency medical call in the town of Ault, CO, as sole occupant of Engine 3 (1995 Pierce Pumper Tanker - 2000 gallon tank), stationed at the Pierce Station. While enroute, Engine 3 was involved in an accident at Weld County Roads 33 and 88, in which the apparatus reportedly left the gravel covered roadway and turned over. Captain Stewart was ejected from the vehicle and passed away from injuries sustained.

Funeral Arrangements: Services on 02/28/2008 at 1000hrs, Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th Avenue, Greeley, CO 80631. Apparatus line-up will be at 0900hrs at the Civic Center. Information contact either Greely FD, (970) 350-9500, or Eaton FD, (970) 454-2115.

Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Farmers Bank, 119 1st Street, Ault, CO 80610 970 834-2121

Tribute is being paid to Captain Shane Stewart at <http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/> http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

To date, 21 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2008 as a result of incidents that occurred in 2008. USFA does not have a Line-of-Duty-Death (LODD) criterion nor does it make LODD determinations.

 

[jimmnn]

UPDATED INFORMATION – Captain Shane Stewart Funeral

The funeral arrangements for Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District Captain Shane Stewart who died in the line of duty on Saturday morning have been finalized. The service will be held on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 10AM in the Union Colony Civic Center at 7th Street and 10th Avenue in downtown Greeley.

Captain Stewart will be given full fire service honors in recognition of his service and sacrifice. Please join us in providing a support to this family which includes both Shane’s father and brother who are also members of the Ault-Pierce FPD, and to this Fire Department.

The funeral will take place in a large auditorium and will be followed by a procession to the Cemetery in Eaton, Colorado for internment services.

Following the services at the cemetery, there will be a reception and meal for all at the Ault Fire Station on Colorado Highway 14 one mile east of US Highway 85. The weather forecast for Thursday is for pleasant temperatures (high 40’s/low 50’s).

Uniforms are encouraged for all fire, law enforcement and EMS attendees. Parking for fire apparatus and CDOT vehicles will be in designated streets adjacent to the Civic Center. Parking will be available at 8:30AM and uniformed personnel will be able to direct you to an appropriate location. Also, if you need to change into a uniform, a location will be provided for that.

Reply Requested

In order to provide some estimate of the number of attendees and fire apparatus, please take a few minutes to let us know what vehicle(s) you are bringing and an estimate of how many personnel will be attending. Please do so by sending a note to funeral@greeleygov.com and include any questions that you may have. We will respond to your questions as soon as possible.

You may also contact Ms. Susan Frame at 970-350-9500 during normal business hours. However, for obvious reasons, we would prefer to have your information by E Mail. On behalf of the family, the Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District and Weld County Fire Chiefs’ Association, your support is very much appreciated.

Douglas P. Forsman

Fire Chief and Chief Administrative Officer

Union Colony Fire Rescue Authority

919 Seventh Street

Greeley, Colorado 80631-3967

Office (970)350-9515

Cell (970)590-5506

&

President

Colorado State Fire Chiefs' Association

 

[jimmnn]

More than 1,300 mourners, 500 of them firefighters from Colorado and Wyoming, gathered at the Union Colony Civic Center this morning to honor a fallen firefighter from Pierce.

Capt. Shane Stewart, 33, died early Saturday as the fire truck he was driving to an emergency crashed just south of Pierce.

Stewart left a wife and two sons.

An estimated 120 fire trucks, ambulances, police and Colorado State Patrol cars, carried the casket of Stewart to the Eaton cemetery for burial.

Also in the procession were several trucks and snowplows from the Colorado Department of Transportation, where Stewart worked.

Several firefighters spoke at the funeral telling stores of Stewart’s compassion, dedication and jokes that he played on his firefighter friends.

Pierce Fire Chief Larry Sheets spoke with a broken voice about his friend’s courage:
“He wanted to help people and he gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

 

[fireemt55]

Procession

From last week...also I have the official last call radio transmission...if you are interested, please PM me...it is a fairly large file (4MB) and won't allow me to upload that big of a file here. Please include your e-mail address.





Note-Photos are from the Greeley Tribune

 

[NorthCOVideo]

Thats truely amazing, does anybody know how they took the picture, could maybe guess from a ladder truck. WoW!