United States Fire Administration
5 November 2026
EMMITSBURG, Md. — The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has announced the on-duty death of Firefighter Joseph Wyatt Gates, 24, of the Raft River Fire Protection District on 2 November 2026.
After attending fire department training, Firefighter Joseph Wyatt Gates and another firefighter were driving a fire department apparatus back to its storage location when it crashed. Both firefighters were ejected from the apparatus and airlifted to a medical center. Firefighter Gates passed away from the injuries he sustained. The other firefighter remains in critical condition.
Age: 24
Rank: Firefighter
Classification: Volunteer
Incident date: Nov. 2, 2026 9:04 PM
Date of death: Nov. 2, 2026
Cause of fatal injury: Vehicle Collision – Includes Aircraft
Nature of fatal injury: Trauma
Activity type: Driving/Operating Vehicle/Apparatus
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: Returning
Fixed property use: N/A
The number of on-duty deaths for 2026 is currently 74.
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 Raft River Fire Protection District|Facebook.
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