Incident Name: a brush/grass fire
Date: 11/11/2012
Personnel: Mark Haudenschild II
Age: 26
Agency/Organization: Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department
Position: firefighter
Summary: Firefighter Haudenschild died from injuries sustained when the fire apparatus he was operating crashed as he was responding to a reported grass fire. Haudenschild was heading south on Hillegas to a fire on Butler Road when the water shifted in the truck, causing it to roll southbound on Hillegas, making contact with three utility poles. Haudenschild was reportedly not wearing seat restraints and passed away at the scene of blunt force trauma due to the motor vehicle crash.
Photo Credit: Fire Department photo & Samuel Hoffman, The Journal Gazette
Maps
Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department
1834 W Wallen RD
USNG: 16T FL 5369 5830
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46818
Accident Location: Intersection of Hillegas and Butler Roads, Fort Wayne, IN
{mosmap lat=’41.102789’|lon=’-85.192637’|marker=’0’|text=’Accident Location’}
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- NIOSH Report: Volunteer Fire Fighter Dies in Tanker Crash En Route to Grass Fire – Indiana (full pdf version for download)Key Recommendations
- Fire departments should ensure that all persons responding in emergency apparatus are wearing, and restrained securely by, seat belts at all times the vehicle is in motion
- Fire departments should provide training to driver/operators, incorporating specifics on rollover prevention and maintaining vehicle control
- Fire departments should ensure that all fire service vehicles are operated safely, taking into consideration the type of emergency and route of travel to the scene
- Fire departments should develop emergency response deployment protocols to prevent resources from unnecessarily responding, unplanned or unknown, to an emergency scene
- Fire departments should ensure that a thorough scene size-up is conducted, incident command is established, and risks are assessed and managed throughout an emergency incident
- Fire departments should develop policies and procedures that assist with determining replacement cycles for existing fire apparatus
- Fire departments should develop policies and procedures, mission and vision statements, and training programs, which promote an institutional safety culture that ensures that all members are empowered to report unsafe practices or actions.
- USFA Memorial Database: Mark Haudenschild II
Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
- Fallen Firefighter Identified2012/11/11 | Online Article
FORT WAYNE – The Fort Wayne Fire Department is reporting the driver of a fire truck that rolled off the road at Butler and Hillegas Sunday evening, has died. 26-year-old Mark A. Haudenschild, II, of Fort Wayne, was trapped underneath the tanker truck he was driving in when it flipped onto its side and crashed into several utility poles late Sunday evening. (More at the link…)
- Firefighter who died in tanker crash identified2012/11/12 | Online Article
Firefighter Mark Haudenschild II, 26, was ejected from the tanker and pinned underneath. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:17 p.m. According to the Allen County Coroner’s Office, Haudenschild was reportedly not restrained and died of blunt force trauma due to motor vehicle crash. Haudenschild leaves behind a wife, a three-year-old son, and a one-year-old daughter.
- Firefighters remember their fallen hero11/13/2012 | Online Article
Firefighters are grieving the loss of one of their own a day after a fatal crash. Firefighters say Mark Haudenschild II was a loving husband, father of two, and friend to many. He was also a hard worker and a joy to be around. “He won’t be forgotten, but you know we’ll heal,” said Chief Brian Gillett of the Washington Township Fire Department. “But, right now, everyone is pretty broken up over the whole thing, and how could it happen, and why did it happen.” Mark Haudenschild the second was the Chief Assistant Engineer at the Washington Township Fire Department. He died after being ejected from the tanker truck he was driving while responding to a brush fire. Gillett said he worked for Comcast Sunday through Thursday and had normally volunteered at the station on Fridays for the past five years. His fellow firefighters described him as “Mr. Fix It.” “His kind of thing was wiring, wiring lights and radios and stuff in trucks,” Gillett said. (More at the link…)
- Firefighters stand watch as a tradition in practice11/15/2012 | Online Article
- Mourning ‘a very good man’, Widow tells of firefighter’s desire to serve11/15/2012 | Online Article
Early in their relationship, Janet Haudenschild recalled hearing about her husband’s desire to volunteer at the Washington Township Fire Department. He had always expressed a need to help others, even if it meant risking his own life, she said. “There was a big fear in me that this would happen, but I still felt I could not stop him from doing something he really wanted,” she said. Surrounded by her firefighting family at the fire station Wednesday, Janet spoke about the life of Mark Haudenschild II, a man she described as “compassionate, caring and loving of everyone.” (More at the link…)
A memorial fund for the Haudenschild family has been set up at Three Rivers Federal Credit Union. Donations can be made at any branch.
- Funeral procession details for Washington Township firefighter11/16/2012 | Online Article
The procession route and funeral arrangements have been finalized for a Washington Township volunteer firefighter who died Sunday night in a crash while responding to a call. A viewing for Mark Haudenschild II is scheduled for Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. at the D.O. McComb Funeral Home location at 1320 East Dupont Road. Another viewing will be held Saturday 9 a.m.-noon at The Chapel, 2505 W. Hamilton Road South, with the funeral service immediately following. Haudenschild will be laid to rest at Riverview Cemetery in Churubusco, at 11425 Carroll Road. (More at the link…)
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- Slideshow: Firefighter dies in tanker crash
- Photo Gallery: In Memoriam Mark Haudenschild II
- Obituary: Mark A. Haudenschild II
- Video & Photos Haudenschild, Honored and Remembered (includes memorial route, pdf download)
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