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Wife and infant son of firefighter Kelly Wong at procession. Eric Leonard/KFI on Twitter.
LAFD firefighter Kelly Wong died Monday morning of injuries incurred when he fell from a ladder during a training exercise on Saturday. Wong was based at station 92 in Rancho Park and had been with the Los Angeles Fire Department for just two years. He was training to move to a downtown station at the time of the accident.
Wong, 29, was escorted Monday from County-USC Medical Center to the coroner's office by honor guards of firefighters. LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas and Mayor Eric Garcetti were photographed comforting Wong's wife, Danielle, and infant son Colton.
KFI's Eric Leonard posted a poignant photo (above), but the emotional day for the LAFD was reported across the local media. Some stations streamed the honor procession live. Here's the LAFD Flickr album and the LA Times photo gallery. CBS 2, NBC 4, KTLA 5, ABC 7, Fox 11, Univision 34, Telemundo 52
Our extended family paying #Respect to our fallen Firefighter Kelly Wong @LAFDChief @MayorOfLA #LACUSCHospital đź“·PSanders pic.twitter.com/xVoWZPgeJE
— LAFD Talk (@LAFDtalk) June 5, 2017
The LAFD announcement this morning:
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is saddened to announce the on duty passing of Firefighter Kelly Wong.
Firefighter Wong, 29, fell from an LAFD aerial ladder while participating in a training exercise Downtown on the morning of Saturday, June 3. Fellow firefighters and paramedics rendered immediate medical attention and transported him in critical condition to a local trauma center.
Despite the heroic efforts of doctors and nurses at the hospital, Firefighter Wong succumbed to his injuries early Monday morning.
He was a two year veteran of the LAFD and was assigned to Fire Station 92 in Rancho Park at the time of his passing. He was scheduled to transfer to Fire Station 9 serving Downtown and Skid Row on June 12 and was working at that station at the time of the accident.
Firefighter Wong graduated from the LAFD Recruit Academy on Terminal Island in August 2015, earning accolades as the top academic performer in his class.
“I join the men and women of the LAFD in mourning Firefighter Wong's sudden passing,” said LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas. “It is always a tragedy to lose one of our own, especially an accomplished individual who was still at the beginning of what was certainly going to be a promising career."
A brief procession from LA County USC Hospital to the Coroner’s office is scheduled to being at 10:00 AM.
Firefighter Wong is survived by his wife Danielle, his infant son Colton, his mother Ann, his mother-in-law and father-in-law Barbara and Michael Quinlan and his sisters-in-law Nicole and Stephanie.
The LAFD, in conjunction with state safety agencies, are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. Additional information regarding memorial services for Firefighter Wong will be released in the coming days.
Statement from Mayor Garcetti.
Kelly Wong was the best of who we are and what we aspire to be: an outstanding young man, a skilled professional, and a dedicated father who committed himself to serving the people of our city — selflessly, and like all members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, at tremendous personal risk. My heart is broken by his passing, and my prayers are with his wife Danielle, his son Colton, and everyone who loved, respected, and admired him.
There will be a thorough inquiry into the tragic accident that cost Firefighter Wong his life, and a full review of training protocols and procedures so that we can take every possible step to prevent such an incident from ever happening again. We owe nothing less to our brave first responders.
Photo from @MayorofLA on Twitter.
