Line of Duty Deaths Database

Joshua Bischof
Name
Joshua Bischof
Local
L2881, Cal Fire Local 2881
Gender
Male
Age
46
District
10
Occupation
Assistant Chief
Type of Duty
Fire Suppression
Fatal Injury Cause
Other - Cause of FFI Not Classified Above
Nature of Fatal Injury
Other/Miscellaneous - Trauma, Blunt
Date of Death
8/6/2023
Year Placed On Wall
2024
Multiple Line of Duty Incident
No information available
Name
City/State
Date
Summary
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Website Comments
It is with deepest regret and sorrow that we report the line-of-duty death of Assistant Chief Joshua Bischof, IAFF 10th District Local 2881, Cal Fire-Sacramento, California. Brother Bischoff, 46, was killed on August 6, 2023, in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire. Also killed in the crash were Cal Fire Captain Timothy Rodriguez and contract pilot Tony Sousa.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thurs., Aug. 24, 2023 at the Toyota Arena - 4000 Ontario Center, Ontario, CA 91764.

Expressions of sympathy and condolences for the local or the family can be sent to IAFF Local 2881, 1731 J St., Ste 100, Sacramento, CA 95811
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Biographical Comments
As a devoted and loyal firefighter, husband, and father, Josh never stopped serving others. He genuinely cherished his friendships and was a caring son, brother, and uncle. He loved firefighting and aviation and was always up for an adventure. He lived fully and was successful at everything he did. He had unwavering work ethic regardless of assignment, whether it was a team deployment or caring for his home and family. He adored his wife of 24 years beyond measure and lived to make his children’s dreams come true. Josh taught others to live life in faith, be humble and to never settle for less than achieving your dreams.
Josh began his career in the fire service as a Volunteer Firefighter in Mountain Center at Volunteer Fire Station 78. He then worked for San Bernardino National Forest Service with the Vista Grande Hot Shots. In April 1999, Josh was hired as a Firefighter I with CAL FIRE, stationed at San Jacinto Fire Station 25 in the Riverside Unit. In September 2000, Josh was promoted to a Firefighter II at Terra Lago (formally known as North Indio) Fire Station 87. Josh remained in the Old 16th Battalion nearly eleven years, promoting to a Fire Apparatus Engineer at Terra Lago Fire Station 87 in June 2003, and then to a Fire Captain on Truck 86 at Indio Fire Station 86 in March 2008. In January of 2011, Josh transferred to Oak Glen Conservation Camp. There he typed out as a Fire Captain-B, before transferring to Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base in 2013. At Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base, he initially was a Helitack Captain on Helicopter 301 and eventually moved to Air Attack Captain on Air Attack 310. In July 2016, Josh promoted to Battalion Chief for Menifee Battalion 13. Then, in February 2020, he transferred back to Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base, working on the Air Attack. Most recently, Josh promoted to an Assistant Chief with CAL FIRE’s Southern Region Headquarters in March 2023, where he oversaw the training program before transferring to Tactical Air Operations. Josh was a member of CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 4, as an Operations Section Chief. He taught multiple cadres, including Air Tactical Group Supervisor and Operations Section Chief. Josh was always willing to help others and was loved and respected throughout his career by his peers.
Josh Bischof
June 17, 1977 — August 6, 2023
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