From Staff Reports
A Barnsdall firefighter died Saturday evening after fellow firefighters discovered him collapsed and unresponsive following a training exercise at Oklahoma State University’s Fire Service Training Center outside Stillwater.
Rusty Toppings, 28, from Bartlesville, was found 45 minutes after training exercises had concluded and fellow students were preparing to leave.
“Police were notified, and the Stillwater Fire department was called and they administered CPR,” Gary Shutt, OSU director of communications, said. “He was taken to Stillwater Medical Center and there they pronounced him dead.”
“This is a real tragedy and Oklahoma State University extends it thoughts and prayers to the family and to his fellow firefighters. OSU-Fire Service Training personnel are devastated by this loss.”
The Barnsdall Rural Fire Department was at the OSU Training Center as part of a firefighter certification program.
The Oklahoma State Firefighter’s Association has begun an investigation regarding Toppings’ death, Shutt said.
“This is the first training-related fatality we have had in the 70-year history of the facility,” Shutt said.
Loading ...
All Articles