Firefighter Succumbs to Injuries from MVC
GRANVILLE COUNTY -
Antioch-Fishing Creek Volunteer Firefighter Joseph Louis Bilka,
60, died on May 21. Firefighter Bilka was responding to the fire
station on April 22 at 01:30 for a reported fire alarm. His
vehicle struck a semi-truck. He was hospitalized until his death.
North Carolina Firefighter
Dies of Injuries Sustained in Crash
OXFORD - A memorial service is set
for Thursday in North Carolina to honor a volunteer firefighter
who died of injuries sustained in a collision last month while
responding to a call.
Joseph Bilka, a member of
Antioch-Fishing Creek Volunteer0 Fire Department in Oxford, North
Carolina, died last week at Duke Medical Center.
Bilka, who joined the fire
department when he retired to the Oxford area two years ago, was
en route to his station for a smoke investigation call when his
Plymouth Bonneville crashed into the side of a tractor-trailer
that was backing into another road, said Assistant Chief Benbury
Ellington.
The car struck the trailer just
above the last axle. Fellow firefighters had to call in a heavy
wrecker to lift the rig off the front of his vehicle. "He was
conscious the whole time which made the extrication even more
difficult. It was tough enough for us to roll up and see it was
one of our own..."
Bilka was flown to Duke Medical
Center, a trauma unit, where he underwent several surgeries for
injuries such as a fractured femur, jaw, shoulder and cracked
skull. He made it through the operations despite the odds.
However, he developed pneumonia, Ellington said.
This is the first line of duty
death for the all-volunteer department that has 26 members.
A retired police officer from the
Boston area, Bilka was described as a friendly man. "He was super
nice. He would give you the shirt off his back..."
Ellington said he was about to
clear all units from the call for the smoke investigation when the
dispatcher told him about the crash. Upon arrival, all immediately
knew it was Bilka. "I just hope I never have one of those again."
The memorial service with full
firefighter honors will be held at the Oxford City Public Works
Building.
(Firehouse.com)
The arrangements are as follows:
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 1 at 18:00
hours at the Public Safety Building, 225 McClanahan Street,
Oxford, North Carolina. Contact Fire Chief Morton at 919-693-5229.
Antioch-Fishing Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
4093 Charlie Harris Road
Oxford, NC 27565
919-693-5229
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Related Links:
North Carolina Fallen Firefighter's Foundation
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