March 21, 2023 Fort Johnson Assistant Chief Steve ‘Bullwinkle’ Harris died Feb. 13 after falling ill while responding.
Source Firehouse.com News
A veteran firefighter in New York died last month shortly after he suffered a medical emergency in a fire truck.
Fort Johnson Assistant Chief Steve ‘Bullwinkle’ Harris, 58, was donning gear with another firefighter as they prepared to respond to a structure fire on Feb. 12 when he experienced shortness of breath, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
The two left the station in the engine with Harris as the passenger. When his condition deteriorated, the driver decided to stop at a nearby firehouse.
He was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital where he went into cardiac arrest. He was revived and flown to Albany Medical Center the following morning. He died later that day of multi system organ failure.
He had been a firefighter for 40 years.
To date, 15 firefighters across the nation have died on duty.