It’s not unusual for people to say nice things about someone when they die. But in the case of Trenton Fire Lt. Eric Lorenz, those things were already being said about him during his life.
Lt. Lorenz, 30, died Saturday in a sky diving accident in Lafayette County. He was a 10-year veteran of the Trenton Fire Department and served as the training officer for both the TFD and the Grundy County Rural Fire Protection District.
Lt. Lorenz grew up in Trenton, graduating from Trenton High School in 2003. The son of Larry and Jan Lorenz, he had early in life decided he wanted to be a firefighter and pursued that passion right out of high school. His impact on the department cannot be understated, according to Trenton Fire Chief Rick Morris.
“What Trenton lost here, honestly, is a future fire chief,” he said. “I don’t know who the next chief will be when I retire, but Eric would have been chief someday. It doesn’t take me long to see a leader and I could see that when I came here four years ago.”
Morris said Lt. Lorenz’s death will leave a huge void in the department that will be felt for years to come.
“His death is leaving a hole in the fire service that we’ll never be able to fill. With his national certification this kid could have gone to Kansas City and commanded well in excess of $50,000 just to start. And I told him that and do you know what he said? He said, ‘Yeah, but that ain’t home’.”
Morris said Lt. Lorenz was in the middle of training five new firefighters, training that will have to continue without him.
Morris said that when Lt. Lorenz went on medical calls either with the fire department or the Grundy County Ambulance Service, where he also worked as an EMT, he went the extra mile.
“He seemed to take the next step in caring for the elderly in particular,” explained Morris. “He would talk with the patient and ease them- with his voice and with his expertise.”
Lt. Lorenz also loved working with children who came to the fire department to visit. He took the time to show them his equipment and to be sure they went away happy. Morris said the night of May 2, when four children died in a house fire in Trenton, was just one example of Lt. Lorenz doing all he could to protect Trenton’s citizens. Though not on duty, Lt. Lorenz, who lived close to the station, responded and within minutes helped create a waterway for Engine 10.
As news of Lt. Lorenz’s death became known over the weekend, social media sites filled with tributes for him, many writing about his endless smile, his sense of humor, his dedication to his career and most importantly, his absolute devotion to his family. He and his wife, Rachel, the music teacher at Grundy R-5 School, had celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary in June. The two were active in the Trenton Acting Guild, where they performed together in such plays as “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, “Opal’s Husband” and “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Their two children, Lillyann, who just turned 3, and Lucas, 1, are familiar faces around the firehouse, where their father loved to have them visit. Their little family was a part of the larger family that included the firefighters and ambulance personnel. That family is now hurting as well.
Morris said that when he learned of Lt. Lorenz’s death, he put out an all-call for the city and rural fire department personnel to respond to the station. He told them there of Lt. Lorenz’s accident and death and told them that they still had to keep the department going- now in honor of Lt. Lorenz.
“As firefighters we honor the life of the person by still getting on that truck and still responding where we’re needed. That’s how we’ll honor Eric.”
Counseling is available for Lt. Lorenz’s fellow firefighters to help with the emotional toll that a tragic death can take on loved ones.
A formal firefighter’s funeral is being planned for Lt. Lorenz, with details pending at Resthaven Mortuary.
While the details surrounding Lt. Lorenz’s accident are murky and may not be ever be completely explained, Morris believes Lt. Lorenz died the way he lived – on the edge.
“He lived his life on the edge. I say this and I’ve said it to Eric – if you get to the end of your life and you’re saying shoulda, coulda, didn’t, then you missed it. And he said to me, ‘I don’t plan on missing nothin!’.”