Funeral services are set to begin Friday morning for Chicago firefighter Steven Decker, a 30-year veteran who died during a training exercise on the city’s Far North Side last week.
Decker, 61, suffered a medical emergency during an annual equipment test, according to fire officials and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He died of natural causes due to heart disease, the medical examiner’s office ruled.
Decker was a fire engineer with CFD, per city human resources data. He had spent nearly 30 years on the job and was assigned to Engine 71 in the West Ridge neighborhood, fire officials said.
“Steve gave everything in service to the people of Chicago and his courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” CFD Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to the Decker family, fellow firefighters and paramedics and all who cherished him.”
Mourners were beginning to gather at St. Paul Lutheran Church on the city’s Northwest Side for services that are set to begin at 10 a.m.
Ald. Debra Silverstein, 50th, in a statement last week, said that Decker’s “sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
“Engineer Decker served the Chicago Fire Department with honor and education since 1997, spending nearly three decades protecting others,” she said. “This is a devastating loss. … Every day, firefighters put themselves in harm’s way to protect our city. Their courage, dedication, and service do not go unnoticed.”
The death is the department’s second this year, following fourth-generation CFD firefighter Michael Altman, who died in March after suffering critical injuries at the scene of a fire in Rogers Park.
