Warren County fire chief dies of 'medical emergency' shortly after responding to EMS call
A chief of a volunteer fire department in Warren County died early Tuesday morning shortly after responding to an EMS call.
Timothy Johnson, 56, who served as chief of the Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department for three years and who joined the department in 1986, died after suffering a "medical emergency," according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday in Erie County. Information on a cause of death was not released as of Wednesday afternoon.
The department’s assistant chief, Dave Tipton, said Johnson and an ambulance crew had responded to an EMS call Monday evening around 10:45 p.m. Upon returning to the station about an hour later, Johnson complained of indigestion and an upset stomach, Tipton said.
Johnson went home around 11:40 p.m. Less than 10 minutes later, the same ambulance crew was dispatched to Johnson’s house for a reported cardiac arrest, Tipton said.
Johnson died early Tuesday morning at Warren General Hospital.
“It was definitely unexpected,” said Tipton, who said he’s known Johnson since 1986.
Tipton said Johnson, who worked as an IT professional, was a dedicated member of the department who worked his way up through the ranks and who played an instrumental role in “every aspect of the fire department.”
“Some people go out and do other stuff to relax, but he just left work and he was at the fire station,” Tipton said of Johnson. “That’s one of the reasons he’s so irreplaceable. He held many hats in the fire department.”
A funeral procession will begin Saturday around 9:30 a.m. at the Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home, 304 East St., Warren, and proceed to the Pleasant Township Social Hall, 40 Fuller Ave. A funeral service will begin there at 11 a.m.
More: Firefighter Shawn Giles remembered for dedication to his family, community
A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Warren County PA fire chief dies shortly after responding to EMS call
