United States Fire Administration
3 October 2024
The United States Fire Administration has announced the death of Chief Chad Satcher, 53, of the Saluda County Fire Service on 27 September 2024.
On Friday, September 27, 2024, Chief Chad Satcher and Probationary Firefighter Cale Bodie were responding to a structure fire during Hurricane Helene when a tree fell on the cab of their fire apparatus. Both were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Age: 53
Rank: Chief
Classification: Volunteer
Incident date: Sep. 27, 2024 6:52 AM
Date of death: Sep. 27, 2024
Cause of fatal injury: Struck By
Nature of fatal injury: Trauma
Activity type: Driving/Operating Vehicle/Apparatus
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: Responding
Fixed property use: Residential
The number of on-duty deaths for 2024 currently is 45.
Go here to read the number of interior line of duty deaths for 2024.
Fatality status is provisional and may change as USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify fatality incident information.
For more information about on-duty deaths as recorded by the United States Fire Administration go to “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.”
Photograph courtesy of Saluda County Fire Service/Facebook.
Data Not Drama 