As reported yesterday, a member of the Bergen (NY) Fire Department’s Fire/EMS crew died when his ambulance crashed while responding. That member has been identified as Barry Miller, a 30-year veteran of the fire/EMS. We at Fire Engineering express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

From www.usfa.fema.gov:

USA Firefighter Fatality Notification

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Barry Miller 

Rank: Assistant Chief of EMS/Firefighter

Age: 50

Gender: Male

Status: Volunteer

Years of Service: 30

Date of Incident: 09/23/2015

Time of Incident: 0725hrs

Date of Death: 09/23/2015

Fire Department: Bergen Fire Department

Address: PO Box 428, 10 Hunter ST, Bergen, NY 14416-0428

Fire Department Chief: Kevin Finucane

Incident Description: While responding to an emergency call for a male with chest pain, Chief Miller died from injuries sustained when the fire department ambulance he was a passenger in collided with a slow moving backhoe loader. The driver and one other crew member on board the ambulance were not injured. The ambulance was traveling east on Bovee Road in Riga, New York, when the accident occurred. According to media reports quoting law enforcement officials, early morning sunshine and fog were contributing factors to the fatal accident which remains under investigation by local and state authorities.

Incident Location: Bovee Road and Brew Road, Riga, NY

Tribute is being paid to Assistant Chief of EMS/Firefighter Barry Miller at http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighter-fatalities/

To date, 62 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2015.  Year-to-date and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at http://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighter-fatalities/fatalityData/statistics