By Ramon Antonio Vargas
The New Orleans Times-Picayune
GRETNA, La. — The Gretna firefighter killed in an accident outside his fire station Monday has been identified as Ralph Arabie, a 30-year veteran of the David Crockett Volunteer Fire Company who taught dozens of the city's school children about fire prevention, according to the department's chief.
Arabie, 48, was crushed to death about 1:45 p.m. while he was lowering a boom attached to one of the department's fire trucks. A bucket at the end of the boom, used by firefighters to reach blazes in high places, pinned Arabie against the control panel he was operating, according to Chief Bobby Black.
Arabie served as a pump operator for the fire department his entire career, according to his biography published on the department's Web site. He was also the Gretna Fire Board's fire prevention supervisor and a Gretna police officer.
Though Arabie was awarded a Medal of Valor for outstanding service during Hurricane Katrina, Black said the firefighter was most proud of the innovative ways he taught his fire prevention classes.
"Ralph was instrumental in getting kids and the elderly in Gretna interested and informed in the importance of fire prevention," Black said. "That was his greatest accomplishment in the department."
Just before the accident outside the fire house, 1136 Lafayette St., Arabie took an insurance adjuster up in the bucket to examine roof damage to the station from Hurricane Gustav, Black said. While attempting to lower the boom back into place, Arabie was pinned between the bucket and the control panel.
The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, Black said. The fire company has asked the manufacturer of the boom to come inspect the equipment. It has also asked a company that inspected all of the department's equipment as part of the fire insurance rating process to do another inspection.
Arabie is the first on-duty casualty of the department in three decades. The department employs 18 paid firefighters and has 35 volunteers.
He leaves behind a wife, one stepchild, two grandchildren and one sister, Black said.
