Firefighter Dies in 'Catastrophic Accident' Teaching Safety Course

A veteran Virginia firefighter died over the weekend after a "catastrophic" accident occurred while she was teaching a water safety course.

The Chesterfield County Fire and EMS first reported the news on Saturday night, stating in a Facebook post that Alicia A. Monahan, 41, had died unexpectedly while off duty. Assigned to the Engine 207-B shift, Monahan was an 11-year veteran of the department. The department's post also noted that she was engaged to be married and leaves behind two sons.

"Our prayers and full support are with her fiancée and both her sons," the post read. "Our hearts and prayers go out to Alicia's family, friends, and co-workers during this very difficult time."

Shortly after the EMS post, the Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association (VRSDA) revealed in its own Facebook post that Monahan had died earlier on Saturday while teaching a swift-water rescue course in North Carolina. While the exact details of her accident have not yet been reported, the organization characterized it as "a catastrophic accident."

"Alicia was more than a teammate she was also a personal friend to many of us and this loss is unimaginable," the VRSDA post read. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Alicia's two sons, her fiancée, her family, as well as her many friends and co-workers. Alicia was a wonderful, caring person…a beautiful, bright light went out today and our hearts are broken."

Chesterfield County Fire and EMS ended its statement on Monahan's passing by noting that further arrangements will be announced in the near future, including any needs that her family might have. In its own post, the Chesterfield Professional Fire Fighters Association confirmed that its charitable organization is working to provide the family with any help that it needs.

The association also said that donations from the public can be made directly on its website, or via checks mailed to the following address: Chesterfield Professional Firefighters Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 812, Chesterfield, Virginia 23832, with "Alicia Monahan" written on the special instructions line. All donations will go directly toward helping her family. Chesterfield County Fire and EMS will also be accepting donations directly at their stations.

Newsweek reached out to Chesterfield County Fire and EMS for comment.

Another off-duty firefighter also recently died in a freak accident while on vacation with his family. Casey Sudkin, a firefighter from New York, was visiting the Biltmore Estate tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina, last week when he was killed by a falling tree limb while driving.