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Watch raw video of press conference with Prince William Department of Fire & Rescue Chief Kevin McGee & Dale City VFD Chief Chris Hool

Read Dale City VFD press release

Read Cecilia Turnbough's profile at FirefighterNation.com

(Note: According to Dale City VFD officials there is likely to be a delay before a funeral is held for Cecilia Turnbough. Her son Chris, also a member of the department, is on a Navy ship and it will be a number of days before the Navy is able to get him back home.)

An investigation is underway trying to determine why a 42-year-old EMT died while training to be a firefighter. Cecilia Turnbough, an eight-year member of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department in Prince William County, was found in cardiac arrest at the county's training academy in Nokesville around 2:30 PM on Sunday.

Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue Chief Kevin McGee said Turnbough was going through a maze in full gear as part of a Firefighter I class. According to McGee, instructors had been in voice contact with Turnbough as she navigated the maze. When they no longer heard her voice, instructors entered the maze and discovered she was not breathing and her heart had stopped beating.

CPR was started and a paramedic unit was dispatched. Turnbough was pronounced dead at Prince William Hospital.

According to Chief McGee there was no sign of trauma. An autopsy will be performed and an internal investigation is underway.

Dale City VFD Chief Chris Hool says they haven't determined at this time if Turnbough took advantage of free annual physicals provided to volunteer members. According to Hool, the medical requirements now for new members are more stringent than when Turnbough joined the department. Neither chief would speculate if the death was caused by a medical condition.

EMT Turnbough was wearing SCBA with her mask in place as she traveled the maze. No smoke or fire is used with the maze. Chief McGee would not say at this time if Turnbough's mask was still in place and the SCBA operating properly when she was found by the instructors.

According to members at Dale City, Cecilia Turnbough had recently decided she wanted to become a firefighter after eight years as an EMS member of the department. Turnbough's husband Chris is a volunteer lieutenant at Dale City. The Turnboughs have three children. Their oldest son volunteered with them before joining the Navy.

Cecilia Turnbough worked as an accountant at George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate and Gardens.

The last line-of-duty death in Prince William County was on April 16, 2007 when Kyle Wilson, a career firefighter, died in a house fire.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE-

Update at 9:30 PM:

Prince William County and Dale City officials say EMT Cecilia Turnbough died while in training Sunday afternoon. The 42-year-old mother of three was taking Firefighter I after eight years on the EMS side of the Dale City VFD. EMT Turnbough was found unresponsive inside the maze at the county's training academy.

Her husband Chris is a volunteer lieutenant with Dale City. One of their sons, who is currently in the Navy, is also a member.

More later.

Update at 7:30 PM:

Prince William County and Dale City VFD officials will be holding an 8:30 PM press conference to announce more details on this LODD.

The female volunteer is described as being in her 40s. According to sources ,she was in the maze at the training academy in Nokesville. When the firefighter didn't come out, the instructors went to check on her and found her in cardiac arrest.

Earlier coverage:

Prince William County Fire Chief Kevin McGee confirms for STATter 911 a firefighter collapsed and died during training at the department's training academy this afternoon. Chief McGee tells us the firefighter is a female volunteer from the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department.

No name has been released because the department is still in the process of notifying the next of kin.

Chief McGee said there appeared to be no trauma involved in the death and that it occurred during a training exercise.

The firefighter was taken in cardiac arrest to Prince William Hospital where she died.

Chief McGee says an investigative team has already been assembled and is at the training academy gathering information.

More as we know it.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 4:05 PM