A veteran Austintown firefighter died while on duty Monday morning.
John Fritz, a member of the Austintown Fire Department since 1992, is believed to have died in his sleep at Austintown Fire Station #1.
Fritz was working a 24 hour shift which started at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, according to Fire Chief Andrew Frost.
His crew ran several emergency calls throughout the shift, including an emergency medical call around 7 a.m Monday When Fritz did not report to the truck for the call, his crew found him unresponsive.
His crew along with the Lane Lifetrans Ambulance/Austintown Fire Department Co-Op truck assigned to that station, found themselves working on one of thier own members. Fritz did not regain consciousness.
Fritz, 48, began his career part-time for eight years before becoming a career firefighter in 2000.
He also served as a Fire Instructor for the AFD and the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.
Fritz is survived by his wife Karen and five children.