STAUNTON, Ohio — A memorial of flowers has been started in front of the Concord-Green Township Fire Department as the community mourns the loss of Fire Chief Ralph Stegbauer and Fire Captain Jeffery Skaggs.
The two longtime Fayette County firefighters died after a mechanical lift they were in overturned Saturday morning.
The accident happened around 11 a.m. outside of the Concord-Green Township Fire Department in the Village of Staunton. Deputies received a call regarding a mechanical lift that overturned resulting in injuries.
An initial investigation revealed that Skaggs and Stegbauer were using the lift to make repairs to the radio tower outside of the firehouse.
The sheriff’s office said in a release that the lift tipped over and ejected both men from the tower basket from several feet in the air.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the accident with help from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction team.
"Everybody's just devastated. I mean, there isn't much you can say, we all could see it in our faces and understand what effect it had on us,” said Tim Kristjanson, a Staunton resident.
Kristjanson said his son-in-law is one of the volunteer firefighters who works for the department and was at the scene on Saturday.
"I saw him out here, he had his red coat on. He was helping, helping what needed to be done, but I haven't talked to him yet,” Kristjanson said.
Kristjanson added that he knew Stegbauer personally.
"He was a very warm guy, and he'd walk by every once in a while, and he'd wave and say hello, and just a warm, caring person,” Kristjanson said.
On Sunday, Gov. Mike DeWine ordered all U.S. and state of Ohio flags to be lowered throughout Fayette County, the Ohio Statehouse, the Vern Riffe Center, and the Rhodes State Office Tower in honor of Stegbauer and Skaggs. The flags will be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of their funerals.
The impact of this loss is reaching far and wide in the firefighter community.
The New York City Fire Department, the largest fire department in the United States, posted to its Facebook and Instagram pages stating their thoughts are with the families of Stegbauer and Skaggs, as well as with the department.
"I think it’s a sign of, we're all family, we're all affected by these tragic events that happen,” Kristjanson said.