New York firefighters, 29 and 33, die after falling into a manure tanker at cattle farm with one of them passing out while trying to rescue the other
A pair of off-duty New York firefighters tragically died Thursday after one of them fell into a manure tank on a cattle ranch and the other tried to save him.
Tyler Memory, 29, of Tully, and Nathan Doody, 33, of DeRuyter, were doing their day jobs as manure truck drivers at Champion Farms when they were overwhelmed by the dangerous fumes coming from the tanker.
Authorities said one of the off-duty firefighters had attempted to “retrieve a piece of equipment that had fallen into the tanker” before passing out and collapsing inside.
While it is not yet clear who initially fell into the tanker, investigators said the other man tried to save his colleague but then also fell unconscious and tumbled inside.
A pair of off-duty New York firefighters tragically died Thursday after one of them fell into a manure tank on a cattle ranch and the other tried to save him. Memory (pictured) was a third-generation firefighter and a 15-year veteran of the Tully Joint Fire Department
Authorities said one of the off-duty firefighters had attempted to “retrieve a piece of equipment that had fallen into the tanker” before passing out and collapsing inside. Doody (pictured) was a volunteer with the Cuyler Fire Department in Cortland County, which he joined 10 years ago
Other farm employees found both men unconscious in the tanker and called 911 around 11 a.m.
After farm staff contacted authorities, two helicopters were sent to the scene.
The Clinton Fire Department, Mercy Flight and COVAC Ambulance all responded to the farm and provided aid to the two men.
Tully and Doody were then rushed to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where they later died.
Memory (photo) came to the department when he was only 14 years old
Tully and Doody (pictured left) were then rushed to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where they later died
According to LocalSyr.comMemory, 29, was a third-generation firefighter and a 15-year veteran of the Tully Joint Fire Department.
Memory joined the department when he was just 14 years old, Assistant Chief Joe Nemier said.
Doody, also a longtime firefighter, was a volunteer with the Cuyler Fire Department in Cortland County, which he had joined 10 years ago.
The sudden and tragic deaths of the two brave young men have left their respective fire departments and families in mourning.
The sudden and tragic deaths of the two brave young men have left their respective fire departments and families in mourning
While it is not yet clear who initially fell into the tanker, investigators said the other man tried to save his colleague but then also fell unconscious and tumbled inside.
Champion Farms, a tenth-generation beef and dairy farm, was founded in the early 1800s in Clinton, about 250 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Manure tankers can be dangerous because manure fumes release toxic gases that can be fatal to humans at certain high levels.
Of the various dangerous gases that manure produces, hydrogen sulfide is the most potent and can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches and unconsciousness.
When the level of hydrogen sulfide is extremely high, a human can die after taking fewer than two breaths.
