A pair of off-duty New York firefighters tragically died Thursday after one of them fell into a manure tanker at a livestock farm and the other attempted to rescue 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 overcome by dangerous fumes coming from the tanker.
According to authorities, one of the off-duty firefighters had attempted to retrieve “some equipment that had fallen inside the tanker” before fainting and collapsing inside.
Although it is still unclear who initially fell into the tanker, investigators said the other man attempted to rescue his colleague, but then also fell unconscious and fell inside.
A pair of off-duty New York firefighters tragically died Thursday after one of them fell into a manure tanker at a livestock farm and the other attempted to rescue him. Memory (pictured) was a third-generation firefighter and 15-year veteran of the Tully Joint Fire Department.
According to authorities, one of the off-duty firefighters had attempted to recover “some equipment that had fallen inside the tanker,” before fainting 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 discovered 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 descended on the farm and administered aid to the two men.
Tully and Doody were then rushed to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where they later died.
Memory (pictured) joined the department when she was just 14 years old.
Tully and Doody (pictured left) were then rushed to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where they later died.
According 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, Deputy Chief Joe Nemier said.
Doody, also a long-time firefighter, was a volunteer with the Cuyler Fire Department in Cortland County, where he had joined ten years ago.
The sudden and tragic deaths of the two brave young men have left their respective fire departments and their families grieving.
The sudden and tragic deaths of the two brave young men have left their respective fire departments and their families grieving.
Although it is still unclear who initially fell into the tanker, investigators said the other man attempted to rescue his colleague, but then also fell unconscious and fell.
Champion Farms, a tenth-generation beef and dairy farm, was founded in the early 1800s in Clinton, which is approximately 250 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Manure tankers can be dangerous because the manure vapors release toxic gases that can be fatal to humans at certain high levels.
Among the different dangerous gases produced by manure, hydrogen sulfide is the most potent and can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches and loss of consciousness.
When the level of hydrogen sulfide is extremely high, a human can die after taking less than two breaths.