SIDNEY — Three Shelby County firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty were honored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on June 11. A Pre-1981 Line of Duty Death (LODD) Walk of Honor Section Dedication was held at the National Fire Academy.
Sidney Fire Chief Henry Yost, Sidney Fire Chief George Hume and Fort Loramie Fire firefighter Michael Aselage were among more than 6,000 firefighters honored from across the United States.
“I have been involved with this organization for years,” said Jerome Barhorst, retired Fort Loramie Fire Department fire chief. “After 9/11, a statue was built to honor those who lost their lives.”
Bricks with the names of the fallen firefighters compose a walkway around the statue. The Walk of Honor where bricks with Yost, Hume and Aselage are in this section.
“They hold a yearly ceremony where they read the names of those who died in the line of duty the previous year,” said Sidney Fire Chief Brad Jones. “The ceremony on June 11 was for those who died before 1981.”
The ceremony, said both Jones and Barhorst, gives “closure to families” who lost loved ones who were firefighters.
The brick for Aselage was purchased by the Fort Loramie Fire Department, while those for Yost and Hume were purchased by the city of Sidney.
Aselage, said Barhorst, was electrocuted on April 2, 1975. He was 24 years old.
“He was going to see his girlfriend in Sidney,” recalled Barhorst, who was 29 at the time and a member of the Fort Loramie Fire Department. “There was a downed electric line on state Route 705.”
Aseleage drove to a nearby house to let them know what was going on and to call the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. He then got back in his van to return where the wires were down.
“He was going to direct traffic but when he got out of his vehicle, the van door came in contact with the electric line,” said Barhorst. “When he stepped on the ground, he was instantly killed.”
Robert Bunsold, of Sidney, was injured in the accident. He had followed Aseleage with the intention of helping direct traffic also. He was knocked unconscious and taken to Wilson Hospital for treatment.
“Mike’s dad (Bernard) was also a volunteer fireman so we had to make sure he didn’t approach the scene,” said Barhorst. “We had to wait for Pioneer Electric to come to show the power down until we do anything for Mike or approach the van.
“There was a deputy en route to the scene and he witnessed the flash that killed him,” said Barhorst.
Aselage had served in the U.S. Coast Guard for four years before returning to Fort Loramie and joining the local department, said Barhorst.
“He was a probationary member of the department and was following in his dad’s footsteps,” Barhorst said.
Barhorst said Aselage’s death affected the entire department. The reality of the event hit Barhorst the Saturday after the accident.
“I was supposed to go to a dance with my wife and him and his girlfriend,” said Barhorst.
Aselage was the son of Bernard and Elizabeth “Betty” Aselage. His sister, Shirley Elsass, survives in Botkins.
Yost was killed in a fire on May 12, 1906, when the department responded to a roof fire on Wilkinson Avenue at 10 a.m. Sparks from the chimney caused a fire on the wood-shingled roof.
Yost was the first get on the roof on a extension ladder. He was followed by firefighter George Rickert, who had a hose. Yost told fireman George Hume to bring a hook ladder so they could climb higher on the roof.
As the ladder was handed up, Yost was about to step onto the roof. The ladder that Rickert was standing on broke and both Yost and Rickert fell 30 feet to the ground and landed on Hume.
Rickert suffered serious injuries, but recovered. Yost suffered internal injuries and was loaded onto a cot, placed in the Bingham’s Furniture wagon and taken to his home, where he died at 1 p.m. that afternoon.
Yost had been a member of the department for 19 years, serving as chief for four years.
Hume died in the line of duty on Thursday, April 17, 1930. The department responded to a house fire on Chestnut Street, where a fire was discovered in the basement. After assisting the firefighters in laying the fire houses, Hume fell over inside the home, dying almost instantly from what was believed to be a heart attack.
He had been with the department for 33 years, serving as fire chief for 26 years.
“In 1996, both chiefs received the Distinguished Cross for personal sacrifices for the department,” said Jones.
Barhorst, who attended the June 11 ceremony, said it was a solemn event.
“The ceremony wasn’t as somber as the one in October when they remember those killed in the line of duty the previous year,” said Barhorst.
“It’s important to have ceremonies similar to this because it gives honor to the departed and closure for the families,” said Jones.
Participating in the June 11 ceremony were Chief Dennis Compton, chairman, board of directors National Foundation Fallen Firefighters Foundation; Chaplain John Long, Maryland State Firemen’s Association; Emmitsburg Mayor Donald Briggs; Dr. Denis Onieal, Deputy Fire Administrator, U.S. Dire Administration; Sue Nasatka, fire service survivor, Annapolis, Maryland; Chaplain Paul Trumpore, city of Knoxville Fire Department.
The National Anthem was performed by Teresa Jackobs, Maryland State Firemen’s Association, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Eileen Coglianese, fire service survivor, Chicago, Illinois.
