Firefighter Fatality

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Justin Townsend

Rank: Junior Firefighter

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Status: Volunteer

Years of Service: 1

Date of Incident: 09/27/2012

Time of Incident: 1712hrs

Date of Death: 09/27/2012

Fire Department: Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department

Address: 31818 Waples ST, Dagsboro, DE 19939

Fire Department Chief: Shane Furbush

Incident Description: Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched for an outside fire in a wooded area on East Clogg Drive just outside town limits. While en route to Station 73 in a personal vehicle, Junior Firefighter Townsend was fatally injured in a motor vehicle crash on Pepper Road, in the area of Jay Patch Road. No further details of the accident are available at this time. The Delaware State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit is currently conducting an investigation into the fatal incident.

Funeral Arrangements: Pending. Updates will be posted at http://www.dagsborovfd.com.

Tribute is being paid to Junior Firefighter Justin Townsend at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

To date, 60 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2012. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online @ http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats.shtm