A little more than 12 hours after celebrating a ground-breaking ceremony for an addition to their station, firefighters and rescue personnel from Sawmills Fire and Rescue Department were shocked to learn that one of their members was dead.
A medical call for an unconscious subject was given for Sawmills first responders at 3:10 a.m. Monday. When they arrived on scene, they discovered that Chad Settlemyre, an up-and-coming member of Sawmills Fire/Rescue, was that person. He was taken by Caldwell County EMS to Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of Settlemyre's death has not been determined. Sawmills Fire Chief Brian Church said an autopsy would be performed to determine what led to the young firefighter's passing.
His death has touched members of the department and officials with the town who had been with him just hours before.
"Everybody's taking it pretty hard," said Steve Duncan, a member of the Sawmills Fire Board of Directors and former chief. "Chad was developing into a very good firefighter and EMT. We're not sure what led to his death, but he will be missed. He was doing an excellent job, a real up-and-coming firefighter. This is definitely a loss for the department."
Duncan said Settlemyre had been at the station during the weekend helping with preparations for Sunday's ground-breaking ceremony, noting that the 25-year-old father of a 2-year-old son had taken the prior week off from work to receive fire and rescue training.
"He had been off for training, and a when a man takes off work to further his fire and rescue training, that shows the dedication he has for his department and community," Duncan observed. "You couldn't ask for anybody any better than Chad. He was a well-liked fellow."
Church said fire department personnel have been coping with the death of their colleague.
"When you discover it's one of your own, you're always heartbroken," Church said. "Our guys did everything they could to give him the fighting chance he needed. But the Lord called him home, and we have to take solitude in that."
Like Duncan, Church saw a bright future in the fire service for Settlemyre.
"He was a good young man and a growing firefighter," Church said of Settlemyre. "He was a good-hearted young man who would do anything for anybody. He had a lot to offer this community."
Sawmills Town Administrator Seth Eckard went to school with Settlemyre, and they graduated together from South Caldwell High School.
"It was complete disbelief," Eckard said of learning the news. "You don't think that someone so full of life would be moving on like that. It's all a shock."
Eckard and Sawmills Mayor Bob Gibbs spent time Monday visiting with Settlemyre's family members, and they still could not believe the community and department lost one of its own so suddenly.
"It's a great loss for our community," Eckard said. "In our community, everybody knows everybody. To lose an active firefighter like that ... it affects us all."
Gibbs got to know Settlemyre through the fire department. Like Eckard, the news of the young man's death was surreal.
"We ran calls together," Gibbs said. "At that age, you never think anything like this can happen. I just can't believe this happened. I just saw him yesterday."
Gibbs also assists at Sawmills Fire and Rescue, and he recalled Settlemyre as an individual dedicated to serving the public.
"He was a very dedicated member of the fire department, a very dedicated family member, a young person who left this earth far too soon to be with his Heavenly Father," Gibbs said. "He was dedicated to his family, dedicated to this community. He did what he could to be a good citizen.
"This is a loss for our community. We've lost a young and dedicated public servant. This is just a sad situation."
Copyright 2012 - News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
