U.S. Fire Administration

The U.S. Fire Administration has announced the official line of duty death of Fire Chief Richard Leo Barbour, 55, of the Wilson's Mills Fire and Rescue on February 4, 2011.

Chief Barbour responded to a woods fire on 01/29/2011. The following day (within 24 hours), Barbour experienced chest pains and was transported to WakeMed in Raleigh, NC. Chief Barbour was treated at the hospital but never recovered from his injury and passed away just before midnight on 02/04/2011.

Funeral Arrangements:
Visitation, 1800-2100hrs on 02/08/2011 at Wilson's Mills Baptist Church, 652 Swift Creek RD, Smithfield, NC 27577. Funeral service, 1100hrs on 02/09/2011, Wilson's Mills Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Knollwood Cemetery in Clayton NC 27520.

Memorial Fund Contact and Address:
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Ricky Barbour Grandchildren’s College Fund, c/o Four Oaks Bank, P. O. Box 309, Four Oaks, NC 27524.

Tribute is being paid to Fire Chief Richard Leo “Ricky” Barbour at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

To date, 17 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2011; 15 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....