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 joe rounds on January 28, 2009 at 11:00am

First of all my heart goes out to the failies of this horriable accident but who is to blame? the fireman or there commanders. guess wut they should not have been in the bucket with out there harrnesses on wtf were they doin and where was there chief anyone who has had ladder or bucket training knows that you dont go up without a harrness im sorry but thats just how i feel no firefighter death is ok not when it could have been prevented this is why we all need to take a break sit back and think hmmmmmmmmm. should i be doin this or is there a better way. if they had there harrnesses on they would have just fell and hung there but they would be alive there is no excuss

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Permalink Reply by joe rounds on January 28, 2009 at 11:38am

im not blaming anyone and i know how it feels to lose someone like i said my heart goes out to each and everyone who was involved it sucks to lose someone that you love and remember never forget your fallen hero's