Hemphill, Earl M.
Age:	61
Cause of Death:	Struck By
Rank:	Chief
Nature of Death:	Trauma
Classification:	Career
Emergency Duty:	Yes
Incident Date:	04/11/2002
Duty Type:	On-Scene Non-Fire
Incident Time:	10:30
Activity Type:	Incident Command
Death Date:	04/11/2002
Fixed Prop. Use:	Street/Road
Fire Dept. Info:	Russell City Fire Department P.O. Box 112 Russell , Kansas  67665 Chief: Larry Vaughan, Acting Fire Chief
Final Summary:	Chief Hemphill and members of his department were dispatched as mutual aid to a motor vehicle crash. Chief Hemphill and 4 other firefighters responded to the scene in a rescue truck. The rescue truck was the first fire department unit on the scene and found an overturned SUV and a camper that had been in tow. The staff of an ambulance that had arrived on the scene first reported that there were no injuries that required the assistance of the fire department. Chief Hemphill and other firefighters turned their attention to the fluids leaking from the SUV. As Chief Hemphill and another firefighter inspected the front of the SUV, they noticed another piece of fire apparatus approaching the scene at a high rate of speed. The driver of the apparatus was waving his hands back and forth to indicate that he had no brakes. Chief Hemphill ran one way and the other firefighter ran the other way. The apparatus struck Chief Hemphill and threw him down an embankment. The apparatus struck another vehicle, left the roadway, overturned, and ejected the driver. Firefighters and EMS workers on the scene provided treatment for Chief Hemphill and he was transported to the hospital. Despite extraordinary efforts on the part of the responders on the scene and the staff at the hospital, Chief Hemphill was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The cause of death was listed as chest, abdominal, and skull trauma. The apparatus involved in the collision had a history of mechanical problems. The driver received minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital the following day. The apparatus driver was initially charged with driving too fast for existing conditions and operating an unsafe vehicle. The charges were later dropped. For additional information regarding this incident, please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2002-18 ( www.cdc.gov/niosh/face200218.html   ).
NIOSH Report:	http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face200218.html