Name: Richard Choate
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 23
Date of Incident: 09/08/2014
Time of Incident: 0708hrs
Date of Death: 09/08/2014
Fire Department: Byram Township Fire Deptartment
Address: PO Box 361, 225 U.S. 206, Andover, NJ 07821
Fire Department Chief: Charles “Chuck” Putz
Incident Description: The Byram Township Fire Department responded to an activated fire alarm incident. Firefighter Choate responded and drove the tanker/tender apparatus to the scene, where he stood-by while personnel investigated. The fire department cleared the scene shortly thereafter, and he fueled the apparatus upon returning to quarters. Members later reported that Choate appeared tired, but did not express any complaints. Approximately 5 hours later, he was found unresponsive inside his personal vehicle, which had run off the road into a wooded area. Police and EMS responded, finding him in cardiac arrest. He was transported to a local hospital with CPR and AED use in progress. He was subsequently pronounced deceased at 1303 hours.
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