Incident Name: Outside Fire
Date: 9/27/12
Personnel: Justin Townsend
Age: 17
Agency/Organization: Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department
Position: Junior Firefighter
Summary:
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 Justin Townsend was fatally injured in a motor vehicle crash on Pepper Road, in the area of Jay Patch Road. Justin was a passenger in the vehicle. Both driver and passenger wore seatbelts. The Delaware State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit is currently conducting an investigation into the fatal incident.
Photo credit: Dagsboro Fire Department
Maps
Fire Location: Wooded area on East Clogg Drive (USNG: 18S VH 7696 6949).
{mosmap lat=’38.5735556’|lon=’-75.2645000’|marker=’0’|text=’Accident Location’}
Fatal MVA: Pepper Road, in the area of Jay Patch Road; Selbyville, DE. Selbyville is about 4 miles from Dagsboro; 90° curve going to intersection – likely the scene. (USNG: 18S VH 8015 5977)
{mosmap lat=’38.4860556’|lon=’-75.2264950’|marker=’0’|text=’Accident Location’}
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
Statement from the Dagsboro Fire Department: The LODD of Justin Townsend
USFA Memorial Database: Justin Townsend
Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
- Dagsboro Fire Department Mourns Death of Teen Firefighter9/27/2012 | Online article
DAGSBORO, Del.- The Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department in Sussex County is mourning its first line-of-duty death. Justin Townsend, 17, of Dagsboro, died in a crash Thursday afternoon while en route to the fire station for a call, according to Delaware State Police.
Jacob Townsend, a friend of Justin Townsend says, “He was very dependable. If you asked him anything while we were here he would help you. If you had a question about something he would help you or he would answer it for you.”
Gunner Kollock says he will remember Townsend as, “somebody that loved to hunt, loved to fish, loved this fire company and as a brother. It was a brotherhood here at the fire company and he won’t be forgotten.”
Troopers said Townsend was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by John Morton Jr., 18, of Dagsboro. Morton was transporting Townsend, a volunteer junior firefighter, to the fire station for a brush fire alarm just after 5 p.m., police said. Due to excessive speed, Morton lost control of the truck at a curve on Pepper Road near Selbyville, spun off the road, struck a telephone pole and then overturned, troopers said. Both were properly restrained. Townsend died at the scene; Morton was transported to Beebe Medical Center in Lewes where he was treated and released, police said. Troopers continue to investigate the crash.
Townsend, who was a junior at Sussex Tech High School, had been a member of the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department for one year and was due to be voted into the senior membership next month, said department spokesman Matthew Gajdos at a Friday afternoon press conference. Townsend’s death marks the first loss in the line-of-duty in the Dagsboro Fire Department’s 69-year history, Gajdos also noted. More at the link…
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department Website LODD Justin Townsend
As you would expect, this is a sad day for the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department, for our volunteer fire service, and for the citizens of Dagsboro, Sussex County, and throughout the State of Delaware.
The Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department suffered a devastating loss Thursday evening. While responding to the station for an alarm, 17-year-old Junior Firefighter Justin Townsend was involved in a motor vehicle accident and was fatally injured. Justin’s death is the first line-of-duty death for the Dagsboro VFD in its 69-year history.
Words cannot begin to adequately portray the tremendous sorrow this small, tight-knit fire company and the community it serves is feeling in the wake of this loss. More at the link…
- Obituary: Justin E. Townsend
(December 11, 1994 – September 27, 2012)Justin E. Townsend, age 17, of Dagsboro, passed away on Thursday, September 27, 2012 as a result of an automobile accident while responding to a reported brush fire.Justin was a student at Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown and a Volunteer Fireman for the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Dept.
Justin is survived by his father and stepmother, Bryan and Melissa Townsend; his mother, Maryann Johnson and stepfather, Virgil Chandler; his grandparents, Betty Lou Townsend and Pete and Sharon Johnson; all of Dagsboro. Justin is also survived by his aunts and uncles, Clayton and Angie Townsend of Georgetown, Elizabeth and Wayne Mueller of Millsboro, Christine and Jake Stansel of San Diego, CA and many cousins. Justin was preceded in death by his brother, Steven A. Townsend, in January, 2012.
A visitation will be held on Friday, October 5 from 5 to 7 pm at the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 6 at 1 pm at the Indian River High School in Dagsboro, where friends may call after 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations in Justin’s memory to the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department Building Fund, Attention Justin Townsend Memorial, P.O. Box 128, Dagsboro, DE 19939.
- Services:
- The Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department will remember and celebrate Justin Townsend’s life
- Viewing: Friday October 5, 2012, 5PM – 7PMLocation: Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department
31818 Waples Street, Dagsboro, DE 19939.
- Remembrance and Celebration: Saturday October 6, 2012, 11AM – 1PMLocation: Indian River High School Auditorium,
Armory Road, Dagsboro, DE 19939.
- A full firefighter’s funeral will commence immediately following the celebration on Saturday. The procession will go from the Indian River High School to Redman’s Cemetery on Iron Branch Road, Dagsboro.
- Refreshments will follow at the Dagsboro VFD.
- Viewing: Friday October 5, 2012, 5PM – 7PMLocation: Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department
- The Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department will remember and celebrate Justin Townsend’s life
- Find a Grave: Justin Eric ” Big Counrty” Townsend (includes more info on his life and more photos)
Contributors to this article: Mellie, GA Peach
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