Two Texas Firefighters Killed in Fall from Aerial Platform at High Rise Training Exercise

FFN News -- Two firefighters in Kilgore, Texas were killed in a fall from a new ladder truck operating at an eight-story college dormitory during a training exercise Sunday afternoon, police and fire officials said.

The accident just after 2 p.m. claimed the lives of Kyle Perkins, 45, and Cory Galloway, 28. Perkins had been with the department since July 2004, Galloway since January 2008. Two other firefighters suffered minor injures during the training exercise and were treated and released.

Kilgore Fire Department's ladder truck remains parked in front of Stark Hall at Kilgore College Sunday, January 25, 2009, after a training accident that left two firefighters dead. Justin Baker/Courtesy News-Journal Photo

"They were down at the college doing a training exercise with a new e-One truck with a platform ... and somehow they fell out of the bucket." Kilgore Fire Operations Chief Dennis Gage said. "I really haven't been able to determine much more than that at this point."

It was not immediately known how high the aerial was raised at the time of the accident.

Kilgore Police officials told Firefighter Nation that both men were seriously injured in the fall and transported to Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview, where they succumbed to their injuries.

The cause of the accident was under investigation by the Kilgore Police and Kilgore Fire Department, according to Lt. Roman Roberson of the Kilgore Police Department.

The dormitory where the accident occurred is on the campus of Kilgore College. According to the college's Web site, the campus includes an extensive fire academy. Galloway graduated from the Kilgore Fire Academy in May 2005.

College spokesman Chris Craddock said the building is routinely used for fire training because it's the city's tallest, the Associated Press reported.

It wasn't immediately known how long the department had been operating the ladder truck, but it had responded to a structure fire Friday night with other Kilgore units. Additional photos of the incident and a platform aerial believed to be the same in action can be seen on the News Journal web site here. There are no reports that the aerial itself malfunctioned in Sunday's tragedy.

Kilgore is a combination fire department about 120 miles east of Dallas.

Firefighters battle a blaze that destroyed Cancun Dave's in Kilgore Friday, January 23, 2009. The department's new platform aerial can be seen operating at the incident. Les Hassell/Courtesy News-Journal Photo - More Photos of Friday's Fire

Additional information and links will be posted as they become available.

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Permalink Reply by Corrie Craukamp on January 25, 2009 at 10:27pm

My condolences go out to their family, friends and Department.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Boeseneilers on January 25, 2009 at 10:33pm

You will be missed brothers. You will be missed.

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Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on January 25, 2009 at 10:35pm

God bless them and there families!!

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Permalink Reply by Joe Tenhagen on January 25, 2009 at 10:48pm

My thoughts and prayers go out to dept. and families of the 2 fallen. Prayers also for the dept. the 2 men belong to as well they will have hard time ahead of them dealing with this tradagy. Keep you heads held high for the brother hood is standing strong with and for all of you.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Buck on January 25, 2009 at 11:05pm

my thoughts and prays go out to his family, friends, and his brothers and sisters at the fire dept.

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Permalink Reply by Cody W. Nelson on January 25, 2009 at 11:06pm

Truly devestating. God be with you guys.

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Permalink Reply by Edward Fleming on January 25, 2009 at 11:07pm

REST IN PEACE MY BROTHERS, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends and the Kilgore F.D. from all here in N.C.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Jardine on January 25, 2009 at 11:08pm

It is always sad to hear about our brothers and sisters passing on. My prayers go out to thier families,freinds,and brother/sister firefighters. I will probably take a lot of heat for what is about to follow but we all need to take a close look at how we operate on fire grounds as well as in training. I do not know the circumstances around these two LODDs but have suspicion of whether the safety tools were implimented such as harnesses or belts. As I said these are only thoughts of my own but we need to train ourselves that these devices are there for a reason....use them and use them properly.