By Leila Merrill
FireRescue1
WINSTON CO., Ala. — Pebble Fire Chief Steve Smith, 46, died Sunday in a motorcycle crash while en route to a fire, WBRC reported.
His motorcycle left the roadway and struck a culvert, the North West Albamian reported. Smith was transported to Lakeland Community Hospital in Haleyville. He succumbed to his injuries there and was pronounced dead.
Smith began working for the department in 1998 and served as fire chief for 10 years.
This death comes less than a year after another firefighter in the county, Lynn firefighter Larry Harbin also died in the line of duty.
Winston County Firefighters Association President Cody Wakefield said Smith was well-loved in the community and a good friend.
“He was a staple of this community, not just Pebble, but entire Winston County as a whole. He was a fire instructor. So he’s taught several more people in the community, several people in the county ... Everybody that you asked in this community around this area is going to tell you he was more like family than a friend,” said Wakefield.