A firefighter has died after responding to a barn fire on Thursday (July 16) west of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island.

Lieutenant Ron Suits, with Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department, was responding to a blaze on McCoy Lake Road when he experienced a medical emergency after arriving at the fire.

Emergency personnel could be seen performing CPR on someone lying on a stretcher on the side of the road while fellow firefighters were battling the barn blaze. An ambulance left the scene more than half an hour later with sirens and lights activated.

Suits succumbed to this medical emergency, Sproat Lake VFD Chief Mike Cann said.

sa国际传媒淟ast night we lost one of our own. Our department grieves alongside of our membersa国际传媒檚 family and we must now come together to support his family and our members,sa国际传媒� Cann said in a prepared statement.

sa国际传媒淲e want to express our sincerest condolences to the membersa国际传媒檚 family and to all members and their families of the Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department,sa国际传媒� the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District released in a statement. sa国际传媒淲e also want to thank all Alberni Valley first responders who supported our member in the line of duty.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淗is dedication was felt by members of the department and his absence will be greatly missed,sa国际传媒� Cann said. Suits was a firefighter in Sproat Lake for four and a half years. He also served on the board of the Dashwood volunteer fire department in Qualicum Beach from 2005-08.

This is the second firefighter death from their team in as many years that Sproat Lake volunteer firefighters have had to endure. Carla Kulczycki died on Jan. 2, 2019 from work-related cancer.

Kulczycki was with the department for 16 years; she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in August 2017. Firefighters from all over Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland attended a line of duty death service Jan. 13, 2019 in Kulczyckisa国际传媒檚 honour.

Two other Alberni Valley firefighters also died in January 2019: retired Port Alberni Fire Dept. firefighter Bruce Trenholm and retired Cherry Creek Volunteer Fire Dept. deputy chief Brian Brick, also of a work-related illness. Bricksa国际传媒檚 family opted not to carry out a public line of duty service.

Previous to that, it had been 14 years since a line of duty service had occurred in Port Albernisa国际传媒攆or PAFD member Robert Beaudoin, who also died of a work-related cancer.

Alberni Valley fire crews were at the scene throughout the night putting out hot spots and breaking up the hay to cool it down.

Sproat Lake VFD was called back to the fire briefly on Friday morning when the hay began to smoulder. sa国际传媒淭he homeowner has his field sprinklers going on it,sa国际传媒� Chief Mike Cann said.

susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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