Line of Duty Death (LODD)
September 5, 1998
On September 5th, 1998, career firefighter Eugene McDonough responded on Engine Co. 3 to a mutual aid call for a multiple alarm warehouse fire at the PMI building in Lyndonville, VT. During the exterior operation firefighter McDonough walked up to the building and opened the large doors to allow hose streams to reach inside the structure. As he was returning to his position the doors closed. When he returned to open the doors a portion of the wall above the door collapsed onto him. McDonough was pulled from the rubble but pronounced dead at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.
Gene was honored with a full firefighters funeral that turned out firefighters from all over New England and beyond, including Boston and FDNY. Gene was well known at Tower Ladder Co. 124 in Brooklyn, as he would frequently go down to ride along with them. We will always remember "Geno" and we know he is watching over us every time we have a run. This page is dedicated to Gene and to all other firefighters killed in the line of duty. May we NEVER FORGET.