Firefighter Fatality

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Johnny Lynn Norton

Rank: Firefighter
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 37
Date of Incident: 11/21/2011
Time of Incident: 1547hrs
Date of Death: 11/24/2011
Fire Department: Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Department
Address: PO Box 218, 78 S Andrews AVE, Hot Springs, NC 28743
Fire Department Chief: Josh Norton

Incident Description: Firefighter Norton and other members of his fire department were called out for a missing person search and rescue operation. The next day, after the hiker had been successfully found, Norton was at his residence when he was stricken by an apparent heart attack. He was treated and transported to Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC, where he passed away on the 24th of November.

Incident Location: Appalachian Trail in the Hot Springs area. 

Funeral Arrangements: Receiving of friends will be from 1700-2100hrs on 11/26/2011 at Blue Ridge Funeral Home in Mars Hill, NC; funeral services will be held at 1400hrs on Sunday, 11/21/2011, at Solid Rock Full Gospel Church in Hot Springs, NC.

Memorial Fund Contact and Address: In memory of Firefighter Johnny Lynn Norton, c/o Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 218, 78 S Andrews AVE, Hot Springs, NC 28743.

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Johnny Lynn Norton at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/.

To date, 81 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2011; 75 from incidents that occurred in 2011 and six from previous years’ incidents. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online @ http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats.shtm.