A 24-year-old firefighter with the Raft River Fire Protection District has died after the fire apparatus he was riding in crashed off a rural Cassia County road as he and a fellow crew member drove back from a training exercise. Joseph Wyatt Gates and another firefighter were ejected when the rig went off East Yale Road Monday night, and Gates later died of his injuries at a hospital in Pocatello.
Cassia County deputies were called to the scene of a one-vehicle crash involving the firetruck around 9 p.m. Monday, according to East Idaho News. The apparatus was carrying two Raft River Fire District firefighters and had gone off the side of the road, injuring both of them, the outlet reported. Gates and the other crew member were returning from a training exercise when the crash happened.
Airlifted to Pocatello After Being Ejected
Both firefighters were ejected from the apparatus in the crash and flown by air to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello for treatment. Gates died at the hospital, while the other firefighter remained in critical condition, according to Firehouse, which reported Gates and the other responder were ejected when the rig crashed while returning from training. As of Thursday, the other firefighter still remained in critical condition.
Gates had been a firefighter for eight months, per the same report. The Raft River Fire Protection District is in Malta, Idaho.
Cause of the Crash Still Under Investigation
What caused the apparatus to leave the roadway has not been determined. The cause of the crash is unknown, and Idaho State Police are investigating, according to Idaho News. No further details about the investigation have been released.
Gates's death adds to a grim national tally: Firehouse reported that his death brought the number of firefighters killed on duty this year to 74. The nature of this particular crash, occurring on a return trip rather than during an emergency response, echoes a broader pattern noted by the U.S. Fire Administration, which has observed in its Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative that travel connected to an incident is often more hazardous than the work performed once crews arrive on scene, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
Community Mourns a New Firefighter
Community Mourns a New Firefighter Westerville Fire 150th announced Gates's death in a Facebook post. Gates was eight months into his service with the Raft River district, a tenure cut short in the line of duty.
