A North Carolina volunteer firefighter was killed in a crash while responding to a call Thursday.
The accident happened at about 1:45 p.m. as a New Bern No. 7 Township Fire & Rescue firefighter was traveling to the station before heading to a previous crash, the department said in a statement. That's when the firefighter, who the U.S. Fire Administration identified as 62-year-old Ralph DeBlasi, was involved in a single-vehicle accident, which had additional units from the department and other agencies responding to the scene.
Once they reached DeBlasi, crews needed to extricate him from his vehicle. EMS care was immediately given, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the USFA.
"This is an extremely difficult time for all involved but as a department with the support of fellow first responders we are working diligently to support the fallen firefighter’s family and extend to them our deepest condolences," Assistant Chief Travis Blalock said in a statement.
"The Firefighter Brotherhood is a strong bond and even though we are deeply hurting, we will honor the duty and sacrifice of the one we lost," he added.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.
Before volunteering with No. 7 Township Fire & Rescue, DeBlasi worked as a mechanical supervisor with the Stamford, CT, Fire Department before retiring.
"I worked with Ralph … when I first joined the Fire Department," Capt. Philip Hayes Sr., stated in a social media post. "He was a great guy, a great firefighter and a big fan of fire apparatus and collectibles."
