Garrett Ramos, a fire lieutenant with the Sterling Fire Department, died in the line of duty in December 2021, and now, his widow says no one has taken accountability for the actions that caused his death.
“Losing Garrett has been the most heartbreaking, crushing pain, and then to find out that a multitude of mistakes caused his death is an added layer of devastation,” Brittney Ramos, Garrett Ramos’s wife said in a statement. “Every person in command and his partner failed him. Due to their gross negligence and complacency, my husband and father of my children was taken.”
“Every person in command and his partner failed him. Due to their gross negligence and complacency, my husband and father of my children was taken.”
Brittney Ramos
According to the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office, a 911 call was received around 11:04 p.m. the night of the incident, regarding a house fire in Rock Falls, and the Sterling Fire Department responded to an automatic aid alarm to assist the Rock Falls Fire Department. Crews from Dixon, Milledgeville, Prophetstown, Tampico, Polo, Harmon, Amboy, Mount Morris and the Chadwick fire districts and CGH EMS support, provided assistance. According to a release, while Ramos was inside fighting the house fire, the floor collapsed beneath him, necessitating a rescue operation. According to a statement from the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office, “EMS crews attempted life-saving techniques en route to CGH Medical Center, where doctors continued their life-saving efforts to no avail.”
Brittney Ramos says both cities’ departments acted in ways that were hazardous and ended in citations. “No one has accepted responsibility for their role in Garrett’s death. Instead of owning their failures, the cities and fire chiefs are contesting the facts of the Illinois Dept. of Labor investigation,” Ramos said in the statement. “For four months, every person in command has known ALL of the mistakes (11) that occurred and no one has stepped up to own their actions and acknowledge wrongdoing.”
OurQuadCities.com received the following documents from Ramos pertaining to the accident and fire call:
- Illinois Department of Labor
- Hazard Alert Letter
- Citation and Notification of Penalty
- 1567974 and 1568109 Incident Report (FINAL)
Ramos said she has faith that help will come with the evaluations. “The IL OSHA Division Manager, Erik Kambarian, is a former fire chief, so there is no doubt of his knowledge and expertise while evaluating this fatal incident,” Ramos said. “This cannot happen to another family.”