The U.S. Fire Administration has announced the official line of duty death of Firefighter Joshua Wilkes, 26, of the Unity Fire Department on February 13, 2011.
Upon leaving the scene of an outdoor fire and while returning to quarters, Firefighter Wilkes and another firefighter stopped at a convenience store to fill their apparatus with fuel. After entering the inside of the convenience store, Firefighter Wilkes suffered a medical emergency and passed away. The nature and cause of Firefighter Wilkes’ injury is still to be determined.
To date, 19 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2011; 17 from incidents that occurred in 2011 and two from a previous year’s incident. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats....