Quincy firefighter dies in vacation accident

PUEBLO, Colo. — The body of a firefighter with the Quincy Fire Department was recovered Monday after a rafting accident on the Arkansas River.

The body of Steve Pezzella was recovered after he lost contact with the boat he was in and tried to swim through a rapid.

Pezzella, 37, was hired by QFD in July 2008. He was a firefighter on first shift. He was certified as a firefighter III, apparatus engineer in hazardous materials operations and an EMT-paramedic as well as a member of the Technical Rescue Team.

The incident occurred mid-afternoon Monday in the Royal Gorge, west of Cañon City, when a private boat, on a two boat trip with three people aboard flipped in the Arkansas River’s Sunshine Rapid. The victim lost contact with the boat and tried to swim through a rapid known as Sledge Hammer.

“The victim was pulled from the water downstream and commercial rafting guides who were in the same area assisted the private trip and started live-saving CPR and deployed an automated external defibrillator (AED) until Emergency Medical Technicians arrived and took over efforts,” according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release.

However, the victim was not revived and was pronounced deceased before CPW Rangers arrived.

Pezzella leaves behind a wife and two daughters. His wife, Emily, is a Crime Scene Technician with the Quincy Police Department.