Kurt Gantner

STATEMENT FROM YUKON’S FIRE MARSHAL

Yukon’s Fire Marshal Dennis Berry shares his deepest sympathies with all Yukoners on the death of Kurt Gantner, Fire Chief of the Tagish Volunteer Fire Department, who died August 23 in Tagish while on duty.

“It is with great sadness that I extend my deepest condolences to Kurt Gantner’s wife Jutta, his family, friends and firefighter colleagues,” Berry said. “Kurt was dedicated to serving his community and helping to keep Yukoners and their communities safe. His bravery and devotion will never be forgotten.”

Kurt Gantner died of an unknown medical condition while investigating a fire scene following a fire in Tagish late Monday night.

“Kurt led his fire department in successfully extinguishing a house fire on a property in Tagish the night before his death,” Berry said. “Yukon’s fire service is truly a family of firefighters. We all know each other, we work together, and now we grieve together. Kurt loved his work as a firefighter and was an important part of the Yukon fire service. He will be sadly missed.”

Kurt had a long and successful career as a firefighter in Germany before coming to Yukon to settle in Tagish. Kurt joined the Tagish Volunteer Fire Department in 2006, bringing with him his considerable experience and expertise. A natural leader, over the last three years Kurt headed his fire department’s 13 firefighters and served as his community’s Fire Chief.

Kurt was an accredited Emergency Medical Responder with Tagish Emergency Medical Services having joined in 2008. As Emergency Measures coordinator for Tagish, Kurt played a key role in developing and implementing the Tagish Emergency Plan. Not only did he run the community’s store and serve as postmaster, Kurt also supported his community as the secretary of the Tagish Advisory Council, the local government in Tagish.

Kurt was a true community hero. He was a keen advocate for his community and worked hard to improve the well-being of local residents through his volunteer work.