Update:
The USFA listed Bennett’s death on 11 February.
Age: 61
Rank: Firefighter
Classification: Career
Incident date: Feb. 5, 2026 11:00 AM
Date of death: Feb. 5, 2026
Cause of fatal injury: Caught or Trapped
Nature of fatal injury: Drowning
Activity type: Not On Scene
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: Training
Fixed property use: N/A
The number of on-duty deaths for 2026 is currently 3 (4*).
Go here to read the number of interior line of duty deaths for 2026.
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.”
*Based on previous on-duty deaths listed by the USFA with similar activity types and cause and nature of death – and on the information available at the time of these deaths – two other firefighter fatalities should be listed but are not:
Tulsa Assistant Fire Marshal Dies During Shift
Detroit Firefighter Dies at Home After Shift
By Bill Carey
7 February 2026
CAMDEN, N.J. — A longtime firefighter with the Camden Fire Department has died after falling into icy water while working on a department vessel at a waterfront marina.
The incident happened 5 February at Wiggins Park Marina on the Camden Waterfront, where the firefighter was conducting duties on a fire boat adjacent to the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion.
The firefighter was identified as Howard Bennett, a longtime member of the department with decades of service.
Officials reported he fell through ice-covered water into the Delaware River and was submerged for several minutes before being recovered by first responders. He was transported to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At least three colleagues were on the boat at the time of the incident. The circumstances of the fall remain under investigation by city authorities.
Photo courtesy of Camden City Firefighters Local 788/Facebook.
Data Not Drama 