A veteran firefighter was killed during a training exercise in West Ridge Thursday afternoon, according to Chicago Fire Department officials.
He was identified Thursday night as Steven Decker, 61, by the Cook County Medical Examiner.
Decker had been injured in the 6600 block of North Kedzie Avenue around 3 p.m. and was taken to St. Francis Hospital, fire department officials said. Details about the exercise weren’t immediately available, but officials said it was unrelated to a water rescue demonstration held Thursday morning near Navy Pier.
An honor procession was held as the firefighter’s body was transported from St. Francis Hospital in Evanston to the Cook County medical examiner’s office in the West Loop. Decker had served in the department for nearly 30 years, officials said.
Decker was an engineer on Engine Company 71, according to Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2. That company is stationed at 6239 N. California Ave. in West Ridge. Union representatives declined to speak Thursday.
Engine Company 71 is located in the 50th Ward, which is also where the training exercise was being conducted. That ward is represented by Ald. Debra Silverstein, who offered her “deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and fellow first responders” in a statement on social media.
“Engineer Decker served the Chicago Fire Department with honor and dedication since 1997, spending nearly three decades protecting others,” Silverstein wrote. “This is a devastating loss to Engine 71 and to all of the brave men and women of the Chicago Fire Department.”
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