Tacoma firefighter dies on aid call
May 14, 2013, 5:37 PM | Updated: 5:48 pm
(City of Tacoma image)
The Tacoma Fire Department is mourning the loss of a veteran firefighter who died Tuesday during an aid call.
Al Nejmeh, 59, suffered an apparent heart attack while helping a Tacoma resident with a medical emergency.
Fellow firefighters performed basic and advanced life support and medics transported him to St. Joseph Hospital, but he couldn’t be saved.
“Al was a well-loved and well-regarded Tacoma Firefighter,” said Fire Chief Jim Duggan in a statement. “As a member of our technical rescue team, he continued to hone his craft and teach it to others. He lived a genuine and deliberate life. We will miss him.”
Nejmeh was a 12-year veteran of the department, assigned to Ladder 2, which worked out of Station 8 at 4911 S. Alaska St. He first joined the department at age 49.
A memorial service is being planned.