Indiana Assistant Chief Killed, Firefighter Injured in Tanker Rollover

By Bill Carey
27 May 2023

FARMLAND, Ind. – A Farmland Volunteer Fire Department assistant chief was killed and another firefighter injured when the tanker they were in overturned while responding to a fire Thursday.

Fox 59 and WISH report that Assistant Chief Kyle T. Osgood was driving the tanker in the early morning to a barn fire when he approached a S-curve and the tanker left the roadway, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

The tanker rolled over, presumably ejecting Osgood and Firefighter Zachary Lee based on local news reports and came to rest on top of both firefighters.

Osgood was pronounced dead on the scene and Lee was flown to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne in critical condition.

The crash is being investigated by the Indiana State Police. None of the local news reports and statements by officials to date include any mention of seat belts.

Osgood’s death is the second firefighter fatality involving driving or riding in fire department apparatus and responding in 2023 according to the USFA[1]. USFA data lists two additional deaths under responding but those deaths are non-traumatic[2].

References:

1. United States Fire Administration (n.d.) Summary Incident Report, Activity Type Driving/Operating Vehicle/Apparatus. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved May 27, 2023 from https://tinyurl.com/USFA-Search 
2. United States Fire Administration (n.d.) Summary Incident Report, Duty Type Responding. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved May 27 2023 from https://tinyurl.com/USFA-Search-2

Photograph courtesy of Indiana Department of Homeland Security.