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Stephen D. Carletti

Firefighter

Firefighter Carletti and Firefighter Theisen responded to a report of a fire in the basement of a single story home. They entered the basement with other firefighters and extinguished fire in the ceiling. In the process of moving around the basement, the attack line was pinched off when it was caught in a folding chair. Firefighters were not aware that their water supply had been cut off. When they began to pull additional ceiling tiles, the room experienced a flashover. Of the five firefighters in the basement when the flashover occurred, two escaped, one was rescued, and two were killed. An adjacent room, which had not been discovered by the firefighters, was fully involved in fire and fire spread to the other room when tiles were removed. Repeated radio requests for help and water were received from the basement but rescuers were unable to reach the firefighters in distress due to severe heat and fire. Both firefighters were wearing their PASS devices, they were turned on, and they activated. The fire cause was determined to be accidental. Firefighter Carletti died as the result of a crushing injury and Firefighter Theisen died of asphyxiation and burns. Firefighter Theisen was also a career firefighter in Westerville. The Crooksville Fire Department suffered a firefighter fatality in 1997. Further information related to this incident can be found in NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation 98-F-06.
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Stephen D. Carletti was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

Crooksville Volunteer Fire Department
22 China Street

Crooksville, Ohio 43731-1110

Chief: Ken Alexander

View NIOSH Report

Age: 43
Rank: Firefighter
Classification: Volunteer
Incident date: February 5, 1998
Date of death: February 5, 1998
Cause of fatal injury: Caught or Trapped
Nature of fatal injury: Burns
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Fire
Fixed property use: Residential

Last updated: June 13, 2012