THE EAST BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY MOURNS THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF BROTHER FIREMAN AND FRIEND
"SEAN WHITEN"
WITH HIS FAMILY AND THE MEMBERS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY STATION 16,
THE ROSCOE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
Roscoe fire captain dies during training
The captain of Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department died Saturday at Monongahela Valley Hospital, where he was taken after collapsing during a training exercise in Westmoreland County.
Sean Whiten, 47, of Stockdale, was conducting training at the Westmoreland County fire training facility near Smithton when he collapsed, said Roscoe fire Chief Todd Mauk. Whiten was a Pennsylvania certified fire instructor.
Washington County Coroner Tim Warco, in a report released Saturday night, said Whiten was pronounced dead at 11:45 a.m. in the emergency room, where he had been brought in cardiac arrest. Whiten had completed the exercises and was taking a break when he was found unresponsive.
"It is a bittersweet day for us," Mauk said Saturday. "Our assistant chief is getting married today. We are absolutely in shock. He died in the line of duty."
Whiten, who also had been chief of the department, was a member for more than two decades. He also was a state-certified instructor for almost that long, Mauk said.
Whiten had been conducting a class in structural burn.
"A ambulance was on the scene for the class," Mauk said. "A Air Medevac took him to the hospital, but they were unable to revive him."
Roscoe Mayor Tom Wilkinson said that when he was chief of the department, Whiten served as his assistant chief. Wilkinson said that word has started to filter through the community about Whiten's death.
"He was a dedicated volunteer," Wilkinson said. "When the whistle blew, he was always there to respond. He will be missed."
Whiten's brother, Bob Whiten, is the chief of Charleroi Volunteer Fire Department.
Mauk said arrangements are incomplete. A firefighter's funeral will be conducted next week.
"STATION 15 SALUTES YOU SEAN WHITEN"
YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN