Four years later: Chesterfield Fire remembers recruit who died during training

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Four years after the tragic death of a young firefighter recruit, Chesterfield County Fire and EMS is taking a moment to honor his memory.

On July 3, 2021, firefighter recruit TyVaughn "Ty" Eldridge died on his 26th birthday after experiencing a medical emergency during physical training at Chesterfield Fire and EMS School 63.

The investigation into Eldridge's death revealed that he had died due to hyperthermia, or heat exhaustion.

Per a 2022 report, on July 1, 2021 -- his very first day of physical training -- Eldridge was running a two-mile run as part of a training exercise. About 16 minutes into that run, he fell. Though Eldridge made multiple attempts to get back up and resume the run, he could not.

Two days later and after extensive treatment in a local intensive care unit, Eldridge sadly died. This was Chesterfield Fire's first-ever line-of-duty death during training activities and its fifth line-of-duty death overall.

"A 2013 graduate of Henrico High School and a 2017 graduate of Old Dominion University, Ty spent his entire life serving his community," fire officials said on Thursday, July 3, the fourth anniversary of Eldridge's death. "It was his lifelong dream to become a firefighter."

In the years since his death, the department has made multiple efforts to honor Eldridge's memory.

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"Every recruit class now honors him with a memorial run," fire officials said. "And an award bearing his name is also given to one new firefighter during their graduation ceremony."

Eldridge was also memorialized on the Commonwealth Public Safety Memorial in Richmond in August 2024, his name joining those of other first responders who died in the line of duty while serving Virginia.

"Today, we honor and remember Ty," fire officials said. "We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made in service to our community."