A former Dayton (OH) firefighter-paramedic passed away this March after contracting Hepatitis-C while responding to an extrication job years earlier.
Rickie K. Halcomb, 56, died March 21, 2014, and was instrumental in bringing infectious disease testing to the Dayton Fire Department, according to WHIO (http://bit.ly/1i1fsrS).
Communicable Disease and the Fire Service
According to the USFA, Firefighter/Paramedic Halcomb was assigned to Dayton Medic 11 and, on June 6, 2000, responded with other crews to I-75 Southbound at State Route 35 for an accident with a person trapped. After nasally intubating the patient and while assisting crews with patient removal from the wreckage, Halcomb was exposed to the Hepatitis-C virus from the blood at the scene. Firefighter Halcomb suffered the adverse effects of the disease process until he passed away on March 21, 2014.