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Kenny Ray Jr.

Fire Technician/Industrial Firefighter

Firefighter Ray was on-duty and conducting fire equipment checks in an elevator control motor room at the Faircrest Steel Plant. The air in the room had been displaced with nitrogen gas. Firefighter Ray was overcome and was later found deceased. OSHA fined TimkenSteel for several violations including a failure to adequately train workers using pneumatic tools powered by nitrogen on safety related to the use of these tools. Firefighter Ray died of asphyxiation.

Incident Location: 4511 Faircrest AVE, SW, Canton, OH 44706 (U.S. National Grid: 17T MF 6297 1143)

photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Kenny Ray Jr. 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

TimkenSteel Fire and Security
1837 Dueber AVE SW
U.S. National Grid: 17T MF 6666 1430
Canton, Ohio 44706

Chief: Lance Kimmell

Age: 32
Rank: Fire Technician/Industrial Firefighter
Classification: Industrial
Incident date: March 20, 2016 15:55
Date of death: March 20, 2016
Cause of death: Exposure
Nature of death: Asphyxiation
Activity type: Other
Emergency duty: No
Duty type: Other On-Duty
Fixed property use: Manufacturing

Last updated: August 29, 2017

Watch America’s Tribute to Fallen Firefighters

Honoring line-of-duty deaths in 2019