PALM COAST, Fla. – A Palm Coast Fire Police member was seriously injured Tuesday when he were struck by a vehicle, according to fire officials.
The Palm Coast Fire Department said it responded to a crash around 5 p.m. near Seminole Woods Parkway and Sesame Drive.
Fire Police members arrived to direct traffic away from the area, and one of the members – later identified as 82-year-old volunteer Stephen Brooks – was hit by a car.
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Officials said that Brooks was called to set up barricades and direct traffic to protect firefighters and officers at an the original crash scene.
Brooks was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition with about a half dozen broken bones, officials said.
There are 13 volunteers with the city’s Fire Police group that Brooks is part of.
“They are there to protect the responders. That’s become one of the most dangerous places for first responders: On or around the emergency scene as we interact with the vehicles and pedestrians,” said Palm Coast Fire Department Chief Kyle Berryhill.
Officials said the setting sun may have been a factor in the crash.
“He’s a really good man. You don’t like to see your team’s blood on the ground, and we saw it yesterday,” Chief Berryhill said. “Luckily, we believe that there’s a ton of hope about Stephen’s condition.”
The Florida Highway Patrol is handling the investigation and will have more information when they release a their crash report.
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