Todd W. Hage - an 18 month member of the Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department died Saturday afternoon after the fire truck he was driving was involved in an accident on Waxhaw-Indian Trail Road near New Town Road. Both the Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Dept (WCVFD) and the Waxhaw Fire Dept were dispatched at 4:26 pm to a near by elementary school for a fire alarm activation. Engine Company # 261 had only 1 firefighter on board when it was involved in a single vehicle rollover accident. A second WCVFD truck happened upon the scene within seconds only to find the fire truck rolled over on its side. Due to the nature of this accident it appeared that the firefighter died instantly.

Volunteer Firefighter Todd W. Hage 43-years young joined the WCVFD in the Spring of 2006
He served as a Firefighter
Rookie Firefighter of the Year 2006
Todd was also a Retired Navy Veteran
Todd leaves behind a wife and 2 young children

The arrangements are as follows:

Visitation:

On Wednesday, August 15, at 1000 hours, the family of Todd Hage will receive friends and family at the First Baptist Church of Indian Trail, 732 Fairview Road, Indian Trail, NC 28079.

Funeral Service:

The funeral will be held immediately after the visitation at 1130 hours.

Following the funeral, a Firefighter's Funeral Procession will proceed to the Heritage Funeral and Cremation Services, 3700 Forest Lawn Drive, Matthews, NC 28104, where firefighter Hage will be laid to rest.

Memorials/Donations:

Memorial donations can be sent to the address below. Checks should be made out to the Todd Hage Fund.

Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department
P. O. Box 963
315 Waxhaw-Indian Trail Rd
Waxhaw, NC 28173
704-843-0425

An Interesting Article about Todd

Todd Hage Featured on BOA Intranet Site

Todd Hage: Banker, Firefighter, Father, Builder of Bridges

Imagine the scene. There are twenty or thirty Bank of America associates, some around conference tables and dressed to impress, some calling from the comfort of their home offices and perhaps wearing bunny slippers, all discussing a critical aspect of risk management. Suddenly Todd Hage's pager goes off. He reaches for it and sees that there has been a three-car collision on a major thoroughfare, and his volunteer fire team is asked to respond, bringing with them all the rescue gear they'll need to free injured people from the crushed wrecks of their cars. There's no question where his priorities will land. Todd recognizes the the goals of the bank can have very imporant impacts on the lives and livelihoods of its customers, but those impacts are longer term. Right now, lives could be in danger. Todd excuses himself from the meeting and answers the call. He answers about four calls each week.

Todd's thirteen years in the U.S. Navy, from which he retired six years ago as a Lieutenant Commander, taught him much of what he brings to both of the areas he works in. Management and analysis skills, sturcture and discipline, and the drive to provide evidence for his actions have helped him further in his civilian career, first in technology management at a small firm, and then - at Bank of America - in Audit and currently in Risk Management. His role now is to help Technology perpare for the questions Audit will ask. In other words, he knows the answers to the test.

But serving in the Navy also taught him firefighting skills and the ability to think clearly and act effectively in a crisis, skills that have earned him the respect of a group of people whose backgrounds are very different for his: the volunteer Wesley Chapel Fire Department in North Carolina. He joined that team in April 2006, got his full credentials in July, and recently he was named "Rookie of the Year". Throughout 2006, this team answered 981 calls.

What makes Todd different from the rest of the department? Todd says it's that he's a "Suit". For most of the other volunteers, their ancestral roots are local; many of the come from farming communities, and all of the drive pickup trucks. They laugh at Todd because he drives a Honda, the trunk of which is crammed with fire boots, turnout gear, helmet, gloves-the paraphernalia of his alter-ego-and he laughs at himself as they do. Even so, he is humbled and honored by the award they gave him.