Trending Topics

Pittsburgh battalion chief suffers fatal medical emergency while commanding fireground

Battalion Chief John Walsh died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital after being stricken while working as the incident commander during a house fire

By Bill Carey
FireRescue1

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Battalion Chief John Walsh died following a medical emergency while working as the incident commander during a house fire in the city’s East Hills neighborhood.

The Pittsburgh Firefighters Union announced that Walsh, 60, who was working as Battalion Chief 3 based in Station 8, died after being transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital on Nov. 20, CBS Pittsburgh reported.

“His unwavering passion for the job, his courageous service, and his remarkable leadership over 37 dedicated years will never be forgotten,” the union wrote in a social media post. “Chief Walsh embodied the very best of what it means to serve and protect.”

A procession led Walsh’s body from the hospital to the medical examiner’s office. He had been a member for 37 years.

Trending
The firefighters worked for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service and were part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires
Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson were conducting initial attack operations on the Knowles Fire when rapidly spreading flames cut off their escape routes
A day after three firefighters were killed in a burnover, hot, dry and windy conditions continued fueling dangerous wildfire growth across the West
An Alabama volunteer firefighter returned to finishing the mowing so the recovering resident and her family had one less thing to worry about