Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | Leland Johnston |
| Agency | Rock Island Fire Department |
| Rank | Captain |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 46 to 50 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 3/29/1960 |
| Cause of Death | Contact/Exposure |
| Nature of Death | Asphyxiation |
| Attribute of Death | |
| Type of Duty | Firefighting operations |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Rock Island |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 3/29/1960 |
| Incident Location | Industry/ Manufacturing |
| Incident Attribute | Fires |
Incident Summary
On March 29, 1960, Captain Leland Stanford Johnston of the Rock Island Fire Department died in the line of duty while fighting a warehouse fire.
A fire broke out at the Dolkoff Iron & Metal Company warehouse on 9th Street and 1st Avenue in Rock Island. The warehouse stored cardboard, baled paper, and loose paper. The contents of the fire produced dense smoke that limited much of the firefighters’ visibility. Captain Johnston was found unconscious on the ground outside an overhead door on the south side of the warehouse. Because the visibility was so low, no one saw Johnston collapse and they approximated that he may have been lying there as long as ten minutes. He was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Anthony’s hospital at 11:45 PM.
A 16-year veteran of the Rock Island Fire Department, Johnston served on the department’s station planning committee, was a past president for the International Association of Firefighters, Local No. 530, and was a first aid instructor for the Red Cross.
Johnston was survived by his widow and two children. Funeral services were held at Hodgson Funeral Home in Rock Island.
Firefighter and Incident Images
