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Crime & Safety

Still Haunted by 2003 Line-of-Duty Death, Novato Fire Honors Men Killed in Arizona Blaze

The Novato Fire Department lowered its flag to half staff and committed this week to a safety stand-down in recognition of the 19 firefighters killed in an Arizona wildfire.

The deaths of 19 members of an elite firefighting team killed battling a Central Arizona wildfire near Prescott has triggered an outpouring of grief among their firefighting brethren, among others.

It has hit Novato firefighters, still grappling with the loss of one of their one, especially hard.

Novato firefighter Steven Rucker was killed in October 2003 in San Diego County while battling the 280,000-acre Cedar Fire.

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“It's devastating to us to hear the news coming out of Prescott,” Novato Fire Chief Mark Heine said.

“To lose any firefighter is a tragedy and certainly to lose 19 firefighters like that is absolutely devastating to that community. We want the Prescott Fire Department folks to know that we're here to support them.”

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The Novato Fire Protection District has lowered its flag to half staff in recognition of the 19 firefighters killed in the Arizona blaze.and committed this week to safety stand-down Heine hopes will help them avoid future tragedies.

“We understand what they're going through having experienced a line-of-duty death in a wildfire ourselves, and that this is a time when the families and fire department and the city of Prescott really need the support of the whole country.”

Heine said the department has cancelled all regular daily activities during this week's stand-down.

“They're focusing on reviewing fire-line safety, safety and survival and strategy and tactics for wild-land firefighting,” Heine said.

The 19 Arizona firefighters killed on Sunday were members of an elite Granite Mountain Hotshots team based in Prescott. They were killed fighting a fierce blaze amid rugged terrain in Yarnell, a former gold mining village 35 miles southwest of Prescott that is now an upscale bedroom community.

The incident killed more firefighters than any event since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“It's just an absolutely tragic loss for not only the families of those firefighters who were killed but for the Prescott Fire Department and the fire service as a whole across the United States,” Heine said.

The Novato fire department annually holds a golf tournament honoring Rucker's memory and which benefits the Novato Fire Foundation.

Rucker is the second Novato firefighter killed in the line of duty.

The other is former Fire Chief George Cavallero, who died of a heart attack in 1969 going out on a call on his 51st birthday.

Novato fire Capt. Doug McDonald suffered critical injuries trying to rescue Rucker in the Cedar blaze. McDonald suffered severe burns to his arms and hands and lung damage from smoke inhalation. The injuries forced his retirement.

Novato continues to send firefighters to all parts of the state about five to 10 times a year through mutual aid agreements that are part of part of the California Master Mutual Aid Program. The program involves every fire department in the state.

“It's not uncommon for us to send resources to Southern or Northern California under the concept that we ever have a similar event in Marin, which we have a history with, we would receive resources from those agencies as well,” Heine said.

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