LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Ballardsville firefighter died after a medical emergency during a fire Saturday night, and now his fellow firefighters are honoring his sacrifice.
Friends and colleagues say Sgt. Tom Petschke was a friend and role model. Petschke died after firefighters responded to an abandoned building fire on North Buckeye Lane in Goshen.
Petschke, a 10-year veteran of the Ballardsville Fire Department, was taken to Norton Hospital, but didn't survive. The exact cause of his death is still unknown.
Stephen Sauerbeck, with Ballardsville Fire, called Petschke's death "an unimaginable circumstance that we train for all the time, but never expect it to be one of our own."
Petschke's colleagues are focusing not on the day the 53-year-old died, but how he lived his life.
"Tom was a great friend and a role model to all of us, but especially to me in how he ran his business and how he takes care of his family and serves his community," Sauerbeck said.
Ballardsville Fire Chief Stephen Fante said when "he was tasked to do something, his loyalty always showed."
On Monday, firefighters and first responders from Oldham County, Louisville, Ballardsville and beyond flanked the hearse carrying Petschke's body to its final resting place.
"Firefighters will be by his side the entire time," Sauerbeck said.
The procession was a sign of respect for someone so respected.
"Tom was a part of our family," Fante said. "The fire department was a big family."
Petschke was a volunteer firefighter, a business owner and a hard worker. He was also a husband and a dad to a family that feels the weight of his loss and his life.
"It's good to have strong people around you that can motivate you to be better yourself, and Tom was one of those people. A great man to look up to," Sauerbeck said. "That's really what sticks out to them, is they're not alone in this and every day there's hundreds of people lifting them up, supporting them physically, emotionally, spiritually."
Sauerbeck said days like this are never expected, but they're also never forgotten.
"It's a true statement to who Tom was that this is a way for us and for the community to thank him for everything he's done," he said.
No additional details have been released regarding the circumstances of Petschke's death.
Funeral arrangements were announced Monday evening. Visitation will be held Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at Heady-Radcliff on Jefferson Street in La Grange.
Funeral services will be held Thursday at the Crestwood campus of Southeast Christian Church on Crestwood Station, at 11 a.m. and is open to the public. Petschke will receive full honors at the church service. Burial will take place in Acacia Park, Buffalo, New York. Officials said firefighters from the Ballardsville Fire Department will travel with Petschke until his official burial.
The community is being asked to line the route from the funeral home to the church. Petschke's family is asking for memorial donations to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in La Grange, Kentucky, or supporting heroes in lieu of flowers.
You can also donate to a GoFundMe account that was set up to help the family. CLICK HERE to contribute.
To donate to Supporting Heroes, click here.
For information about donating to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, click here.
Related Stories:
- Procession held for Ballardsville firefighter who died in the line of duty
- 53-year-old Ballardsville firefighter dies after responding to fire on Saturday evening
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
