CC SA-BY-NC Our OaklandOver the years, the Oakland Fire Department has had a number of Line of Duty Deaths. It is worth noting that firefighting is hazardous but not always immediately fatal. Lives of some firefighters have been shortened by smoke, chemicals and injuries. There were doubtless deaths earlier than 1898, but as of yet, no documentation has been found.

The source of information for most of these entries is OFD Battalion Chief Geoff Hunter, author of Oakland Fire Department, and from the California Firefighters Memorial.

Note: "extraman" was basically a volunteer firefighter paid a nominal salary to respond to alarms with his assigned company, as a stopgap for professional departments that weren't quite big enough. In 1911, the police and fire commissioners re-organized the downtown Oakland Fire Department stations into a fully paid force.

In Memoriam

Year Rank Name Company Incident Notes
1898 Firefighter Austin Bailey   6th Street fire Brave Fireman's Death SF Call 1898
1899 Extraman William Moran Engine No. 6 Fall in firehouse Death of Fireman Moran SF Call 1899 (fall was late 1898)
1901 Foreman John G. Rutherford Engine No. 5 Smoke inhalation Births-Marriages-Deaths SF Call 1901
1901 Driver William C. Ennis   Structure fire Brave Fireman's Widow Receives a Pension SF Call 1901
1903 Extraman John J. McCarthy Engine No. 1 Injuries during First Baptist Church fire Devotion to Duty Results in Death SF Call 1903 (fire was 1902)
1903 Hoseman  Frank Parker Engine No. 3 Arcata Lodging House fire Fireman Meets Death in Flames SF Call 1903
1907 Firefighter Edward Brandt Engine No. 1 Collins Brothers' Drug Store fire Fire Fighting to be Made Less Perilous SF Call 1907
1908 Extraman Clinton Baccus 6th St. Fall in firehouse Injured Fireman Dies SF Call 1908; brother of CM William Baccus
1913 Battalion Chief Gardner "Sam" Morgan   Vehicle hit by train Assistant Fire Chief is Hurt in Crash Oakland Tribune 1913. Died several months later of typhoid
1915 Driver Howard Roberston Doane   Vehicle accident City Driver Charged With Recklessness Oakland Tribune October 28, 1915
1917 Extraman Patrick Barry   Struck by street car  
1919 Firefighter George W. Brown   Heart attack Apoplectic Stroke Kills Fire Fighter Oakland Tribune November 10, 1919
1920 Firefighter Ernest Walter Loeffler Truck No. 4 Ladder collapse during Zinkand Restaurant fire Firemen Are Injured; Fire Loss Heavy Oakland Tribune 1920
1923 Chief's Operator Francis G. Bell   Auto collision while responding Colbourn Raps Citizen Causing Fireman's Death Oakland Tribune 1923
1923 Firefighter Stanley Nicolaison   Vehicle accident this refers to Bruce Nicolaisen, driver Truck No. 2
1924 Firefighter Elvert Storm Engine No. 18 Vehicle struck by train Auto Accidents in Bay Region Oakland Tribune February 4, 1924
1924 Driver Raymond Franks Truck No. 1 Collision with PG&E truck Berkeleyan Blamed for Fatal Accident Berkeley Daily Gazette July 21, 1924
1924 Chief's Operator George Grazier   Vehicle accident Non-stop Drivers Face Jail Terms Oakland Tribune October 13, 1924
William Lutkey was injured in the crash.
1925 Hoseman Thomas Francis Heelan Engine No. 1 Fire engine struck by SP train City to Sue S.P. in Train Crash Death Oakland Tribune October 16, 1925
1932 Hoseman N. V. De Soto   Vehicle accident  
1933 Battalion Chief Max Dohrmann   Ongoing injuries Max Dohrmann, Battalion Fire Chief, Dies, 53 Oakland Tribune 1933
1935 Engineer Clarence E. Whitmore   Heart attack Fireman's Widow Wins Suit Against City For Pension Oakland Tribune October 16, 1936
1938 Firefighter Edward F. Bohan   Fell from fire engine Fireman's Fall Off Truck Proves Fatal Oakland Tribune 1938
1940 Hoseman Dewey E. Records Chemical No. 1 Gross Brothers' Furniture fire $85,000 Blaze Kills Fireman, Sweeps Downtown Store Oakland Tribune 1940
1943 Lieutenant William P. Cerini Truck No. 4 Heart attack during structure fire Blaze Fatal To Fireman Berkeley Daily Gazette 1943
1943 Hoseman William Porteus Chapman   Heart attack  
1943 Hoseman Noah McGaha     McGaha Oakland Tribune December 12, 1943
1944 Chief's Operator Joseph A. Wilson   Heart attack Fireman Wilson, 63, Dies While on Duty Oakland Tribune June 7, 1944
1946 Captain Joseph Pimentel Engine No. 24 Fire engine struck tree Crash Kills Fire Captain Oakland Tribune 1946
1947 Hoseman Louis Cetraro Engine No. 3 Roof collapse Fireman Dies, Six Hurt in Midnite Fire Oakland Tribune 1947
photos Oakland Tribune 1947
1957 Lieutenant  Ralph W. Waalkes Engine No. 32 Electrocuted Shock From Live Wire Kills Fireman Oakland Tribune 1957
1959   Carl John Vinther, Jr.   Heart attack Carl J. Vinther, Jr. Oakland Tribune May 3, 1959
1959 Engineer Leo B. Centini   Heart attack while fighting fire Heart Attack Kills Fireman At Blaze Oakland Tribune November 9, 1959
1964   James E. Christian   Heart attack  
1967   Harry N. Morse   Heart attack  
1968 Lieutenant John T. Carlyon Engine No. 31 Brush fire at Mills College 1968 Mills College Fire. Died several weeks later
1968 Hoseman Floyd J. DeMarco Engine No. 31 Brush fire at Mills College "  "
1968 Hoseman Terry M. Silveria Engine No. 31 Brush fire at Mills College "  "
1970   Camilius E. Williams   Heart attack  
1971 Lieutenant Michael J. Wright   Heart attack Michael J. Wright Oakland Tribune November 16, 1971
1979 Lieutenant William Elliott Truck No. 1 BART Trans-Bay Tube fire William Elliott Oakland Tribune January 18, 1979
1985   Alvin M. Brown   Heart attack  
1990 Firefighter Lance Jorgen Petersen Engine No. 4 Fell from fire engine  
1991 Battalion Chief James M. Riley Battalion No. 4 Struck by falling power pole During Oakland Firestorm. Plaque at Station 24
1997 Lieutenant Richard A. Sanders   Heart attack  
1999 Firefighter Tracy Dolan Toomey Engine No. 12 Building collapse Plaque at Station 6
2007 Lieutenant Kevin Charles Reed Station No. 8 Cardiac arrest following structure fire Firefighters mourn deaths of 2 comrades SFGate.com 2007
2010 Assistant Chief Neil Rodney Honeycutt   Cancer  

'Sam' Morgan - 1913Louis Cetraro - 1947