An Orange County firefighter who died this summer after rescuing a worker from a sewer trench had heart disease and high blood pressure, according to an autopsy.
Jeff “Stan” Holden, 32, of Rougemont, died Aug. 13 at the Orange Rural Fire Department in Hillsborough after returning from an emergency call. The assistant fire chief was found unresponsive in the station’s bathroom after going to take a shower.
The autopsy does not say the rescue earlier that day directly contributed to Holden’s death, but it notes “the conditions of the rescue itself were stressful, strenuous with significant physical exertion, and non-routine in nature.”
Online sources note trench collapses are one of the most challenging situations that rescue workers can face. Trench and excavation operations contributed to 23 deaths in 2016, according to Roco Rescue, which provides rescue training, equipment and services.