Firefighter Record

Incident Summary

On December 4, 2021 Sterling Fire Department Lieutenant Garrett Ramos died in the line of duty while fighting a residential house fire in rural Rock Falls.

The Sterling Fire Department was one of 11 fire districts that responded to a house fire in the late evening of December 3rd. Ramos entered the house with other firefighters and they found that the entire attic was on fire. Ramos was then ordered to attack the fire on the rear porch of the home and while operating in the residence, he found and rescued a missing dog. After firefighters had the fire under control and Ramos was exiting the building by himself, he fell through a weakened portion of the floor into the basement and transmitted a Mayday, which was not heard by most firefighters who were operating on another radio channel. A personnel accountability report (PAR) was undertaken of firefighters and due to an error, all firefighters were said to be located.

Approximately 37 minutes after Ramos fell through the collapsed floor into the basement, he could not be located and firefighters began to search for him. It was also at this time that it was discovered that the residence had a full basement, which was previously unknown to firefighters due to unpermitted renovations to the house where the basement windows were covered with boards and painted the same color as the home’s siding. Firefighters could not access the basement due to debris from the collapse blocking the basement steps, which were the only access point. They cut a hole in the floor and were able to remove Ramos on the third attempt. Ramos was transported by ambulance to a local trauma hospital and pronounced dead early Saturday morning. Ramos’ death was the first line of duty death in Sterling Fire Department history.

Funeral services for Ramos were held at the Westwood Fitness and Sports Center on December 9, 2021.

Ramos was posthumously promoted to captain, having served as acting captain for the past year. He had been a member of Sterling Fire Department for nine years. He was survived by his widow and two children.

Citations:

“City of Sterling Press Release,” Facebook, December 4, 2021.

”Garret E. Ramos,” legacy.com December 2021.

“Lieutenant Dies from a Floor Collapse in Residential Structure Fire with Unpermitted Renovations-Illinois,” NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, Report F2022-09, May, 2025.