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Lance Jorgen Peterson

Firefighter

Firefighter Peterson was killed after falling off a fire engine that was heading to the scene of a burning building. Firefighter Peterson lost his balance while trying to get into the jump seat behind the cab of the engine and missed grabbing the safety harness. The safety bar providing a barrier between the passenger and the roadway was help in the open position, having been wedged behind an axe handle in the stairwell. The engine was going no more than 15mph at the time.
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Lance Jorgen Peterson was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Department information

Oakland Fire Department
Oakland, California

Age: 45
Rank: Firefighter
Classification: Career
Incident date: November 1, 1990
Date of death: November 11, 1990
Cause of death: Fall
Nature of death: Trauma
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: Responding

Last updated: March 20, 2014

Watch America’s Tribute to Fallen Firefighters

Honoring line-of-duty deaths in 2019