United States Fire Administration
3 June 2026
EMMITSBURG, Md. — The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has announced the on-duty death of Firefighter/Paramedic John Morgan, 53 of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District on 31 May 2026.
While working his shift, Firefighter/Paramedic John Morgan did not report to the apparatus floor when a call came in for a grass fire. Fellow first responders searched for Firefighter/Paramedic Morgan and found him unresponsive a short time later. Firefighter/Paramedic Morgan was pronounced deceased at the station. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
Age: 53
Rank: Firefighter/Paramedic
Classification: Career
Incident date: May 31, 2026 9:23 PM
Date of death: May 31, 2026
Cause of fatal injury: Unknown
Nature of fatal injury: Unknown
Activity type: In-Station Duties
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: Other On-Duty
Fixed property use: N/A
The number of on-duty deaths for 2026 is currently 29.
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.”
Photo courtesy of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District.
Data Not Drama 