The assistant fire chief of the Tullytown Fire Company on Saturday became the first Bucks County first responder to die of the coronavirus, county officials said.
Bucks County Health Director David Damsker confirmed the death of Rick Johnson, 50, of Tullytown.
“Our county has suffered its first loss of a first responder to COVID-19,” county officials said in a Facebook post. “The county commissioners mourn this loss of life and all other that have and will be suffered during the pandemic.” Friends described Johnson as a dedicated volunteer firefighter and active member of his small Bucks County borough of less than 2,000 residents. He had been in the hospital for more than a week, said Aaron Cohen, the fire chief. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotion,” Cohen said. “I’ve known him my whole entire life. He’s the reason I joined the Tullytown fire department.”