Incident Name:
Date: collapsed on 7/29/11, died on 8/7/11
Personnel: Kyle King
Age: 53
Agency/Organization: Perry Fire Department
Position: captain
Summary: Captain King was overcome and collapsed on July 29 while fighting a small grass and abandoned structure fire near Perry, OK. The temperature was 104.7F at 1735 hours. He was wearing full structural firefighting protective clothing and SCBA. The firefighters controlled the fire and continued to overhaul the structure and extinguish hot spots for the next hour. After a break to take a break and hydrate, Captain King collapsed. In spite of immediate medical assistance and quick transport to the hospital Captain King never regained consciousness. He died on 8/7/2011. NIOSH investigators concluded that “Given the Captain’s probable underlying coronary artery disease, the physical stress of fire suppression activities triggered his initial cardiac event” from which he never recovered. Please see the NIOSH Report for further information.
Maps
Incident Location: County Road 160 and Pioneer Road, Noble County, OK (USNG: 14S PF 6207 2724).
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Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- NIOSH Report: Captain Collapses at a Structure/Grass Fire and Dies 9 Days Later – Oklahoma (583 K pdf)
Wildlandfire.com Links:
- Hotlist: 8/8/11
Media Articles and Reports
- Perry firefighter dies from apparent heat-related injuriesAug 8,2011 | Online article
Kyle King, 53, died Sunday. The cause of death for the 23-year-veteran is still pending, said Perry Fire Chief Wayne Emmon. “He is our first fireman fatality,” Emmon said. “He was also the first fireman to win our Fireman-of-the-year award in 2003.” King had worked himself up through the ranks to the position of captain, he said. He collapsed on July 29 while fighting a small grass fire that surrounded an abandoned house, Emmon said. “Between the heat and the (heaviness of the) equipment – he was just overcome,” Emmon said. King, who was married and had two adult daughters, was the department’s fire prevention officer, building inspector and training officer, he said. “He was a mentor to the younger fireman and everyone looked up to him,” Emmon said. He was a good friend, he said. (more at link)
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- USFA Memorial Database: Kyle K. King
- Obituary: Kyle Kenneth King
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