Graham firefighters mourn loss of battalion chief in unexpected death
Graham Fire & Rescue officials are mourning the loss of Battalion Chief Todd Jensen, 51, of Puyallup, following his sudden death in July while on vacation.
The department on Saturday planned for a private memorial in downtown Puyallup following a small procession, and said in a social media post that other area fire agencies would provide coverage from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. so that Graham’s team members could attend the service.
The private memorial service was set to take place Saturday afternoon at the Puyallup Church of the Nazarene, 1026 7th Ave. SW.
According to the department, Jensen “passed away from a sudden medical event while on vacation on July 24.”
Further details were not made available.
Pierce County Professional Firefighters, in a fundraising tribute page set up to assist the family, said that Jensen’s passing “was unexpected and has stunned his family, friends, and the entire Graham Fire & Rescue family.”
Jensen joined Graham Fire & Rescue as a volunteer firefighter in October 1991 and was hired as a career firefighter/paramedic in 1996. The department said he served various roles, from firefighter to Assistant Chief of Operations, over his 31-year career.
The department noted that Jensen “was known throughout Pierce County as an expert in Emergency Medical Services – serving on an Advanced Life Support Task Force, the Washington CARES program to improve cardiac arrest survival, and various firefighter/paramedic assessment centers and EMS related workshops.”
Jensen is survived by his wife and two daughters.
