By Chance Swaim
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA, Kan. — The city of Wichita is taking steps to honor a 27-year-old firefighter who died in the line of duty on Thursday, and the firefighters union president is calling for a full investigation into what happened.
Wichita firefighter Ty Voth, a 5-year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department, responded with a crew on Engine 19 to “a heavy fire at a modular home down in Haysville” on Thursday afternoon, Chief Tammy Snow said at a Friday morning news conference. His crew was assigned to attack the fire.
“They went in and extinguished the majority of the fire, a pretty significant fire up in the roof area,” Snow said. “They were redeploying their line. They pulled it outside. They got to the porch. There was a little bit of a mop up that him and his crew were going to extinguish, and that was when he succumbed to his injury.”
City officials have held two news conferences since Voth’s death but have not taken questions at either. They have not said what his injuries were. Wichita fire sources who are not authorized to speak about the incident told The Eagle that Voth suddenly collapsed.
“There were several paramedics on the scene — three from the different agencies,” Snow said. “They immediately provided advanced care to him until they were able to transport him in an EMS unit to St. Francis Hospital .”
About 30 minutes later, he was pronounced dead.
“He was extremely dedicated and a brave firefighter who served our community,” Snow said. “Ty ran in to danger when others ran out. He served valiantly for others, for the greater good. We value the critical services and sacrifice of firefighter Voth. This is a loss that weighs heavily on all of us. Ty was a proud member of Station 5, and his station brothers and sisters in our entire community grieve deeply together.
“He lived as a hero. He died as a hero. And he’ll be remembered as a hero.”
The city of Wichita has lowered its flags to half-staff and will illuminate City Hall in red lights to honor Voth, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said on Friday.
“At this time, I know that we as a council want to be supportive of not just the Wichita Fire Department but all first responders who always give their all in serving our community,” Wu said. “And we’re grateful to each and every one of them. And we hurt with each and every one of you. So I ask that you all keep the family in your prayers and ask that you also keep all our firefighters, our first responders, in your prayers, too.”
Ted Bush , president of the Wichita Fire Department’s union, said Voth loved his job.
“He was often the first guy up to make coffee to make sure everyone had coffee when they woke up,” Bush said. “He loved training and he loved making alarms. He was a firefighter’s firefighter, and he gave his life in service to this community.”
“This is the reality that we and our families think about each time we leave for work,” Bush said. “Most of the time for us it’s a quick thought and you move on and you get to work.”
Bush said the first order of business is to make sure Voth’s family and coworkers are taken care of in the immediate aftermath of his death. He also called on the city to initiate a full investigation to find out what — if anything — the department could have done differently.
“We need to fully investigate what happened to assure his family, his friends and Wichita firefighters that there wasn’t anything that could have been done to prevent this horrible tragedy,” Bush said. “We must ensure that we take all necessary steps, no matter how difficult, to do everything we can that must be done to prevent this from happening again.”
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