subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sun, Jul 05 2009 

Published: January 27, 2008 10:37 pm    print this story   comment on this story  

Hundreds bid farewell to EMS director

By KENNETH HART - The Independent

LOUISA Hundreds of emergency responders gathered in Lawrence County on Sunday to pay their respects to a fallen comrade.

Representatives of Kentucky agencies from as far away as Louisville, and from departments in Ohio and West Virginia packed the gymnasium of Louisa Middle School for the funeral of Paintsville Emergency Services Director Christa Burchett.

Burchett, 33, who was also the city’s assistant fire chief, was killed in the line of duty Tuesday morning. She was assisting a pregnant woman following an accident on U.S. 460, about five miles west of Paintsville, when a coal truck skidded out of control on the icy road, striking her and the mother-to-be, Erica Brown, 24, of Salyersville.

Brown, was three months pregnant, was pronounced dead at the accident scene. Burchett died later that morning at Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center.

Burchett, of Lowmansville, had worked as a paramedic since 2003. She joined Paintsville Fire-Rescue-EMS in 2005 and was named EMS director in April of last year. She was the mother of a 14-year-old daughter, Olivia, a student at Paintsville High School.

As mourners entered Burchett’s funeral, they filed past her work vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee, which was parked at the entrance to the middle school. A single red rose was tucked under one of its windshield wipers. A decal on one of the side rear windows read: “In Loving Memory of 106 (Burchett’s radio call number), Christa Burchett.”

Red Bush Volunteer Fire Department Chief Buell Webb, one of two firefighters who officiated at Burchett’s funeral, said while Burchett’s death came as a shock, it was not surprising she died doing what she loved best — helping someone in need.

“She died because she wanted to protect you and I,” he said. “She was dedicated. She loved her job. There was something deep down inside her that made her want to do that work.”

Webb said he heard the accident that claimed the lives of Burchett, Brown and Brown’s unborn child unfolding on his scanner.

“I remember praying to God that it wasn’t one of ours,” he said. “But it was.”

Following the service at the school, Burchett’s flag-draped casket was loaded onto the back of a fire engine and transported to the Fred M. Vinson Veterans Memorial at Yatesville Lake, where firefighter rites were performed.

En route to the lake, the truck carrying Burchett’s remains passed beneath the aerials of two ladder trucks, which had been raised to form an arch across Ky. 2565.

During the service, members of Paintsville Fire-Rescue-EMS wept inconsolably when Burchett’s last call came over the radio.

A total of 675 attended Burchett’s funeral, according to Ronnie Day, executive director of the Kentucky Fire Commission, which organized the service. He said he wasn’t sure how many agencies were represented.

Boyd EMS Director Tom Adams said he had had gotten to know Burchett “fairly well” because she had worked fill-in shifts for his agency for the past couple of years.

Adams said crews from Boyd and Carter County EMS covered Paintsville’s calls on Sunday so Burchett’s co-workers could attend her funeral.

He said he was not surprised to see members of the emergency response community turn out en masse to bid farewell to Burchett.

“We’re very close,” he said. “We’re all aware that this could be any one of us.”

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.

print this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



Zillow
monster
autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

OFFICE POSITION
Dwtn. office seeks assistant in legal related services. Send resume i/c/o to Box 03499, c/o The Independent, PO Box 3...>MORE

ORTHO/CLERICAL ASST.
For a busy ortho practice. FT/PT. Send resume to Box 03500, c/o The Independent, P.O. Box 311, Ashland KY 41105....>MORE

DRIVER & PRODUCTION
DRIVER- 1-5 pm; Production 4-8 pm. Both jobs require light lifting and good driving record. Mon-Fri. $7.50/hr. Apply at ...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Cars, RVs and Boats

MOTORCYCLE FOR SALE
VSTAR CLASSIC 1100- ‘07, 2800 mi, extras, like new $6300. 606-473-4923....>MORE

ROAD KING FOR SALE
ROAD KING- ‘98, 6K mi., candy red, asking $13,500. (606)475-3543....>MORE

FORD F150
1997 king cab, 3 dr., AT, AC, V8, CD, PW, $3,850. 606-833-2967....>MORE

See all ads

Premium Real Estate

FLATWOODS 2BR COTTAGE
FW- 1409 Clark St. 2BR cottage, HW fls., 2 bonus rms. $55k. 740-886-8742...>MORE

HOME FOR SALE
FURNISHED BRICK HOME- 3 BR, FR, FP, lg. DR, 2 porches, $122k. 325-6901...>MORE

IRONTON HOME FOR SALE
TWO BR, 1BA, detached garage, fenced yard, updates, $67,000. 740-533-7103....>MORE

See all ads

Premium Deal of the Day

LAB PUPS
AKC, black, choc. 6 wks, wormed, 1st shots $300 740-532-2174...>MORE

Motorcycle for sale
SUZUKI- ‘02 GSXR 600, telefonica Movi Star, $4,000. (606)571-5593....>MORE

Patriot Tandem Trailer
TANDEM TRAILER- ‘07 6’x12’, pointed front, $2500 obo. 836-6191....>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index