Firefighters, friends and family throughout Humboldt are mourning the shooting death of Captain Timothy Thomas Smith (age 42) of the Fortuna Fire Department on Monday. ( See here for earlier story .) “We’re brokenhearted,” explained Diana Totten, spokesperson for Briceland Fire. “Our team worked with him on a strike team to Lake County and Big Sur…Working side by side during the fires, we bonded with him.”

Rio Dell Fire posted on their Facebook page, “Our flag is at half mast and will remain there until our brother is laid to rest.”

Smith’s brother, John Heflin, told us, “Tim worked fiercely with everyone that he was fighting fires with. He loved helping the community out with his heart and soul. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all co-workers he had including the ones he had help putting out the fires in other counties. He is one of our ‘never forgotten heroes.'”

Bridgeville Fire Department posted on their Facebook page that Smith was “one of the original members who helped form the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department. He was there when we responded to our first call.”

The post said, “His talents were many. With his special training he trained us. His passion pushed us to [be] better firefighters. His dedication and bravery helped people on the worst days of their lives. He loved being a firefighter even on his days off… from the Bridgeville School [where he had been a maintenance worker] he would respond to our community, when we were in need.”

Smith was known for his involvement in the community. He played the Santa at Bridgeville Community school the last several years. He was a valued member of the Eel River Valley Technical Resource Team where he was Team Commander.

Smith was part of the Valley Fire and the Soberanes Fire strike teams formed from Humboldt firefighters last year. (The two included photos show him on the Soberanes Fire.) “The way I will always remember him is we were both choking on the same smoke, fire everywhere, and he turned to me and grinned,” said Diana Totten. “That’s who I remember. I knew in his heart he was a fireman.”

She explained that there is a powerful connection between firefighters. “We rely on each other’s training and knowledge. It is very seldom that in the world we live in that you would trust your life to someone, but in the fire service we do and that creates the strong bond we have with each other. And that’s why we are especially broken when one of our own loses his life. It affects us strongly.”

Rio Dell Fire’s post recognized the connection not only with the man who died but with his fellow firefighters who shared the same department with him. “Our deepest sympathies go out to our brothers and sisters of Fortuna Fire,” they posted last night. “Today is a very sad day in the Eel River Valley. We mourn their loss as if it was our own and offer our support in any way… .”

Then they added, “Rest peaceful Tim. You will be missed.”