Israeli-druze fire fighter dies saving a life

Israeli-Druze firefighter Sergeant Adnan Asad from the Druze village of Beit Jann, located in the north of Israel on Mount Meron, was killed on Sunday while attempting to save the life of a man who fell in a pit.

Around 1 PM Sunday afternoon, the Israel Fire and Rescue Department answered a call to save a 20-year-old man who fell into a pit about 8 meters deep (27 feet) in Deir al-Asad, an Arab town in Galilee.

Teams from the special rescue unit of the Karmiel fire station arrived on the scene within a short time and began a rescue operation. Upon the teams’ arrival, two firefighters entered the pit, but during the rescue operations contact was lost with them.

So, additional rescuers who were on the scene and the fighters of the “Flame Unit” rescued the two firefighters and the citizen, who was said to be in a serious medical condition.

The three were all evacuated to the Nahariya Hospital for medical treatment and Asad was later reported to have died of his wounds.

In a sign of Israel’s diverse, multi-ethnic culture, a Druze (an Arab group but not Muslim) died while attempting to save the life of an Arab man and while serving in the emergency services of the Jewish State. There is no word yet on the identity of the man who was rescued or of his religion.

Israel’s Druze have always accepted Israeli sovereignty and serve in its security forces such as the police and the IDF.

Even though, like Jews, they consider themselves to be both a nation of people and a religion, they do not claim any territory as their homeland and give allegiance to whatever nation they reside in. There is no information yet as to the exact circumstances of Asad’s death, or if he died at the scene, in transit, or at the hospital.

The fire and rescue department reported that at this time medical staff at the Nahariya hospital continue to fight for the life of the second firefighter who was seriously injured in the rescue attempt.

Sergeant Adnan Asad was 40 years old at the time of his death, was married and had three children, the youngest of whom is only two months old. He served as a firefighter in the formation from 2019.

Fire Commissioner Chief Eyal Caspi arrived at the hospital and is closely monitoring the situation. The families of the firefighters were informed of their situation by department officials. The fire commissioner established an inspection team led by himself to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

In a statement, Israel’s National Fire and Rescue Authority said that it, “bows its head at the fall of the warrior (firefighter) and participates in the grief of his family.”