On Thursday, members of Chesterfield, Va. Fire and EMS Department bid farewell to a decorated colleague who collapsed while exercising.
Capt. Joseph Newsome, 40, was running on a treadmill at his home Monday morning when he collapsed, said Capt. Steve Hall.
Newsome's family called 9-1-1, and some of his colleagues answered the call. "He was engaged in required physical training," the captain said.
An 18-year veteran of the department, he was serving as acting director of the EMS division, Hall said.
"You couldn't ask for a finer person," he said, adding that Newsome was a highly-decorated, dedicated and respected firefighter/paramedic.
Newsome started his fire service career in Dinwiddie County in 1982 with the Namozine Volunteer Fire Department. He became a career firefighter with the City of Petersburg in 1984 rising to the rank of Sergeant/Engineer. In 1988, he joined the Chesterfield department, according to a prepared statement.
Hall said Newsome received the department's highest honor, a Medal of Valor, for his actions during Tropical Storm Gaston. He also was named firefighter of the year in 1992.
Newsome is survived by his wife and two sons, 14 and 12.
