A longtime member of the Dakota City Fire Department died early Sunday morning after suffering a heart attack in the line of duty.
Lowell Satterwhite, 67, sustained a heart attack around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, approximately 12 hours after responding to a medical call the previous day.
Dakota City Fire Chief Clint Rasmussen said Satterwhite, who also worked for the city of Dakota City as a maintenance worker, had been a member of the department for 41 years. At the time of his death, Satterwhite was the longest-serving active member of the department.
"The community is a better place now for Lowell being a volunteer for so many years," Rasmussen said. "He was always there when we needed him, any time of day." Deaths resulting from heart attacks and strokes are classified as line of duty deaths if they occur within 24 hours after a call.
Satterwhite's death is the third line of duty death for the Dakota City Fire Department in the past 18 months.