09/04/2026
The incident commander is responsible for safety and accountability of all responders on the scene, regardless of which agency they’re from.
FIRE CHIEFS FOUND LIABLE IN LODD LAWSUIT
A Whiteside County, IL judge has upheld a jury’s finding that the City of Rock Falls, IL and two former fire chiefs were liable in the 2021 line of duty death of Sterling, IL Fire Lt. Garrett Ramos. Ramos fell through the floor into an undetected basement while operating at a mutual aid house fire and transmitted two maydays, but command initially believed another firefighter was missing and did not continue pursuing the maydays after that firefighter was accounted for.
Ramos was then discovered missing roughly 30 minutes later and investigators concluded he survived about 17 minutes after the fall before running out of air. The jury found failures involving identifying the basement, appointing a safety officer, withdrawing interior crews, responding to the mayday, personnel accountability, and Mayday and accountability training. The judge rejected the defendants’ attempts to overturn the verdict, finding sufficient evidence for the jury’s determination that their conduct met Illinois’ standard for “willful and wanton” conduct. Ramos’ widow now has 30 days to accept the $28.5 million judgement amount, after which the city has indicated it plans to appeal.
