Fallen Kansas City firefighters to receive national honor in May

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A firefighter and paramedic from Kansas City, Kansas, and a Kansas City, Mo. Fire Captain will receive national honors next month.

Jason Garrett, 46, died after working a 24-hour overtime shift on Christmas Eve in 2017. He then worked his regular shift on Christmas Day. During that time, he responded to 11 calls.

Other firefighters found his body in the station’s bunkroom when he did not appear for a morning response call.

It was later determined he died of cardiac arrhythmia and cardiomegaly.

ALSO READ: Jackson Co. jail staff rescued from malfunctioning elevator

Captain Raymond M. Wynn, 62, worked for the Kansas City, Mo., Fire Department for 32 years. He died on March 27, 2021, after doctors diagnosed him with three separate primary tumors on his tongue, neck, and lung. Ultimately he lost his decade-long battle with cancer.

Wynn and Garrett will be honored during the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland, near the Pennsylvania state line.

This year, organizers of the annual event plan to honor 226 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. The list includes three other firefighters from the state of Kansas.

• Firefighter/EMT Joshua Bruggeman, 46, of the Wichita Fire Department. Bruggeman died on Dec. 29, 2021, from complications of COVID-19.
• Assistant Chief Frank Enke, 48, of the Girard Fire Department, was on duty in March 1983, when he started to feel ill and experienced chest pains. He was transported to the hospital where he died from a heart attack. He had responded to multiple calls that week, with the last call within 24 hours of his death.
• Division Chief Martin “Marty” Smith, 64, of the Montgomery County Fire District #1, responded to a crash on Jan. 15, 2023, that required a ladder and extrication to reach a trapped victim. While on scene, he complained of pain in his arm and back. His body was later found at his home. He died of a heart attack seven hours after his last call.

Plans include a candlelight service on May 4, and a memorial service on May 5. The full list of the 226 firefighters who will be honored during the two-day event can be found online at FireHero.org.

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.