A 21-year old firefighter in New Jersey was tragically killed in the line of duty on Christmas Day. Volunteer Natalie Dempsey died in a car crash as she was responding to a fire, Fox News reported.
The Mitzpah Volunteer Fire Company announced her death in a social media post on Tuesday.
Firefighter killed while responding to Christmas fire
As Americans across the country woke up to open presents with their families on Christmas Day, first responders were working around the clock and putting themselves in harm’s way to keep communities safe.
Dempsey answered an emergency call for a house fire early Christmas morning around 6 a.m. She was driving through Hamilton Township towards the firehouse when she lost control of her car and crashed into a guardrail, police said.
Dempsy was alone in the car and was pronounced dead at the scene. Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company shared the tragic news in a Facebook post and said they will have a funeral with full honors.
She was vice president of her South Jersey volunteer unit.
“At this time the Mizpah Fire Company has to announce the passing of Firefighter/Vice President Natalie Dempsey. Please keep her family in your prayers. We will keep you all updated on any funeral arrangements. This will be a funeral with full honors due to it being a line of duty passing,” the volunteer department wrote.
Fire chief devastated
Hamilton Township Police responded to the car wreck and were joined by Hamilton Rescue Squad, May’s Landing firefighters and Dempsey’s colleagues from the Mizpah Fire Company. Chief Jay Davenport told NJ.com that he did not realize that Dempsey was the victim at first when he and several other Mizpah fire-fighters arrived at the scene of the crash while returning from the fire to which Dempsey had been responding. He said that his heart was crushed when he recognized Dempsey’s black 2001 Honda Accord.
Dempsey’s death “smashed my heart out,” he said.
“She was one of the most beautiful-souled people you could imagine,” he told NJ.com. “The world was lollypops and rainbows for that girl. Her smile can light up the room.”
May’s Landing Fire department described Dempsey as “vibrant.”
“To our brothers and sisters at Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company 18-2 we stand with you and we mourn with you during this dark hour. Natalie Dempsey was a vibrant young firefighter who always had a smile on her face, and she will be greatly missed,” the fire department wrote in a Facebook post that ended, “Natalie Dempsey, thank you for your service; we’ll take it from here.”
Dempsey was a firefighter for three years and had recently passed her Firefighter 1 certification, Davenport said. She wanted to become a police officer and had gone to the police academy over the summer.
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