An investigator with the Chula Vista Fire Department (CVFD) died of a heart attack while hiking with his family, officials confirmed.
Fire Investigator Samuel Escalante, 43, is being remembered by fellow Chula Vista firefighters as a “highly technical” and “very thorough” colleague.
“Besides being the Fire Department’s ‘go-to’ for highly technical life safety questions, Sam also was a manager within the Fire Prevention Division,” the CVFD said.
Escalante had been working with the CVFD since February 2006 as the city’s first Fire Prevention Engineer. Prior to joining the department, he was a Fire Protection Engineer in the U.S. Navy.
The CVFD plans to hold a funeral service for their fallen comrade on Monday at the Glen Abbey Mortuary in Bonita.
Meanwhile, remembrances and condolences can be sent to Escalante’s family at: IAFF Local 2180, P.O. Box 697, Chula Vista, CA 91910.
