I would like to ask the group if they feel that the fallen firefighters memorial at the state fire college at ocala should include firefightes that were killed while "not actually fighting a fire". i know of a case of a paid firefighter who was killed in the line of duty in a firehouse accident. i believe that those type of deaths should be included because he was ON DUTY.

I know there is a concern about volunteers and my answer would be if they were responding to a call, operating at a scene or performing a task related to an active call, any death would be (in my view) a line of duty death.

A person who comes into the firehouse on his day off to read a memo who slips on a wet spot, and hits their head and dies is not a LODD

A firehouse death while not fighting a fire but operating in a "on duty" capacity is a LODD...what about the volunteers? a volunteers who happes to be at the firehouse and suffers a mishap and dies is not a LODD unless he or she was "required to be there" as a paid firefighter is "on duty" 

A volunteer responding to the firehouse (POV) for a call who gets in a accident and dies is a LODD

A volunteer or paid firefighter going home who is killed in an accident is not a LODD 

I know this is a subject that can be "what iffed" forever but the fire service i was raised in taught me that any death while in the service to others in an offical capicity is a LODD. I do not believe that excluding those who were "not actively fighting fire" is a good reason for exclusion. I would hate to think that an on duty firefighter killed in a natural disaster (because we live in a state where they happen) would be excluded because they were "not actively fighting a fire" but i also know that the circumstances can also get crazy espcially if we split hairs. My application of common sense says that a firefighters that (in the case of a paid firefighter) they are required to be there and any death should be considered a LODD. (in the case of a volunteer) if their death is directly related to an incident they were responding to, operating at returning from on a department vehicle while on an actual incident, that death would be a LODD

I welcome any comments to this post, I just think a friend of mine that was killed in the line of duty deserves the recognition of his service to his department, his community and the people of Florida.