The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department has had its 119th firefighter die in the line of duty since 1887.
A firefighter-paramedic with the department died during a training exercise on Tuesday.
KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne learned the majority of firefighter deaths are from medical emergencies, including the most recent death from KCFD's very own. Data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows 40% of all firefighters who were killed in the line of duty in 2023 died from sudden cardiac arrest.
Thirty-five percent are from trauma and/or crushing while on fire grounds.
The number of firefighter fatal medical emergencies has gone down since 1980, as sudden cardiac deaths accounted for 40 to 45 percent of total fatalities from 1980 to 2019.