Firefighter Fatality

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Robert Dean Watts

Rank: Firefighter

Age: 51

Gender: Male

Status: Volunteer

Years of Service: 30

Date of Incident: 04/18/2011

Time of Incident: 2000hrs

Date of Death: 04/18/2011

Fire Department: Windsor Volunteer Fire Department

Address: 275 Broad ST, Windsor, CT 06095

Fire Department Chief: William Lewis

Fire Department Website: http://www.townofwindsorct.com/wvfd/index.html

Incident Description: Firefighter Watts collapsed while working water supply at the scene of a report of smoke in the Windsor Rehabilitation Center. Fellow firefighters and EMS personnel immediately initiated CPR and Firefighter Watts was transported to St. Francis Hospital by a Windsor EMS ALS unit where he passed away from a cause still to be determined.

Incident Location: 581 Poquonock Avenue

Funeral Arrangements: Pending

Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Robert Dean Watts at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

To date, 29 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2011; 26 from incidents that occurred in 2011 and three from previous years’ incidents.  Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online @ http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats.shtm.