A procession was held Thursday to honor two Riverside County firefighters who were killed over the weekend in a helicopter crash that occurred while crews responded to a fire in Cabazon.
The lives of 46-year-old CAL FIRE Assistant Chief Josh Bischof and 44-year-old CAL FIRE Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez were honored as hundreds of firefighters and law enforcement officers gathered to pay their respects.
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“On our job, we spend more time with the members that we work with than our own family. That relationship, that bonding, gets built pretty tight,” said Mark Griffiths, a Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter. “So, coming out to show support a different agency like this, it’s one way we help. One way we share the grief.”
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SIGN UP Bischof and Rodriguez were among the three crew members who were killed Sunday after two firefighting helicopters collided. Tony Sousa, a 55-year-old contract pilot, also lost his life in the tragedy.
One of the helicopters in the incident was able to land safely.
“Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed and tragically all three members perished which included one Cal Fire Division chief, one Cal Fire captain and one contract client pilot,” Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said Monday in a news conference.
During the procession to the mortuary, CAL FIRE HAWK 301 hovered high above. Its home is at Hemet Ryan Air Attack Base, where the fallen crew members had taken off from on Sunday. Many firefighters from other agencies knew them since the base also serves as a training location.
"By me being here, is paying the respect to them and their families,” said Michel Chapman of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Chapman said throughout the years, Bischof and Rodriguez were crucial in mentoring young firefighters.
The crash continues to be under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
