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James J. McRae III

Firefighter Technician

Firefighter McRae was on-duty as the driver of Truck 12. Firefighter McRae reported for duty at 0700hrs on July 6, 2007. During the course of the shift, Firefighter McRae and the members of his fire company performed fire station and apparatus maintenance duties, conducted a fire inspection, attended a meeting, and responded to 3 emergency incidents. At 0050hrs on July 7, 2007, Firefighter McRae awakened another paramedic firefighter and asked the firefighter to medically assess him. Firefighter McRae was not feeling well, he was having difficulty breathing and he was coughing. Three minutes later, an ambulance was requested. Firefighters provided paramedic-level emergency medical care to Firefighter McRae and he was transported to a hospital by ambulance. At approximately 0315hrs, Firefighter McRae was transferred by medical helicopter to another hospital. Firefighter McRae was pronounced dead at 0415hrs. The cause of death was a heart attack. For additional information regarding this incident, please refer to NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program report F2007-23 (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200723.html).
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
James J. McRae III 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

District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department
1923 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20001

Chief: Dennis Rubin

View NIOSH Report

Age: 34
Rank: Firefighter Technician
Classification: Career
Incident date: July 7, 2007 00:50
Date of death: July 7, 2007
Cause of fatal injury: Stress/Overexertion
Nature of fatal injury: Heart Attack
Activity type: In-Station Duties
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: After
Fixed property use: N/A

Last updated: August 17, 2016