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By STEPHEN DAWKINS | Special to the Reporter

Behind the wheel of a 500-horsepower bright red Chelsea Fire Department ladder truck driving down Shelby County 43, Josh Rossetti’s eyes grew wide as he rounded the corner to a nightmare.

Following a rescue operation in the woods for a person in cardiac arrest, Rossetti was following the rest of his crew down the county road in Chelsea as they transported them to the hospital once a LifeSaver helicopter they were waiting for never showed up.

Rounding the corner, however, Rossetti realized what happened to the emergency helicopter when he saw it crashed in the highway.

Chelsea residents were rocked by the event in April 2023 that resulted in two of the crew members dying with one survival, but as they looked for solace in a difficult situation, they looked no further than Rossetti’s story.

With adrenaline running and emotions trickling through his body due to his relationship with the crew members, Rossetti wasted no time jumping into the burning helicopter to cut off the fuel supply and helped with the effort of pulling the victims out of the wreckage.

Rossetti received recognition for his role in what would be considered an extremely rare event by firefighter standards, but he’s not defined by that incident.

He insists that anyone would have done the things he did that day.

For Rossetti, the decision to become a firefighter—a risk-filled decision he and others make anew every day—is based not on a headline-grabbing incident but the opportunities each day to help people in the community.

These “small” acts, from assisting an elderly person who has fallen to checking someone’s blood pressure, make it worthwhile for Rossetti.

First responders family suffers traumatic loss

Shelby County 911 received a call about a hiker off County Road 43 in Chelsea suffering a medical emergency with breathing issues and chest pains. First responders arrived on the scene and realized the subject was about 2 miles off the road into a wooded area.

Four firefighters entered the woods with a Search and Rescue All-Terrain Vehicle to extract him to the roadway.

The subject went into cardiac arrest and was defibrillated. At this point, Rossetti said the firefighters knew the situation was critical, so they called for air transport.

“When time is of the essence, we try to get as many resources there as we can,” Rossetti said. “And LifeSaver has advanced equipment and rapid transport capabilities that are important for the patient.” LifeSaver responded and put a helicopter into the air bound for the location.

Rossetti is a flight paramedic for LifeSaver as a second job and personally knew the crew that was dispatched. After the call was placed, Rossetti texted members of the crew with the latitude and longitude for their position.

The firefighters and subject emerged from the woods, and there was no sign of the helicopter, as the crew was apparently searching for a suitable landing spot. The decision was made to go ahead and load the subject into the Chelsea Fire transport vehicle and drive him to a hospital.

While the other firefighters transported the subject, Rossetti drove the ladder truck alone. As they were leaving the scene, another call came in about a wrecked helicopter. “I thought, ‘No way. Somebody just saw a low-flying helicopter and called it in.’ That’s actually not uncommon,” Rossetti said.

But as Rossetti rounded a corner in the ladder truck, he came upon the helicopter on the ground, engulfed in flames and black smoke.

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on the scene and had pulled the pilot out of the helicopter.

“Some of the safety training you receive in aviation training is how to shut off the fuel and battery in the event of a crash,” Rossetti said. “I knew there were three people in the aircraft, I only saw two, so I had to go and get one more out. I went in and shut off what I could, but I couldn’t waste time because the aircraft was still on fire. I was able to find the crew member, cut away his safety harness, and pull him out with the help of other members on scene.” The crew member was alive but severely injured. He was loaded into an ambulance and transported to a trauma center, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

Of the three crew members aboard the helicopter, two died: 63-year-old Marc Gann and 43-year-old Samuel “Adam” Russell. Paramedic Amanda Daniels was the lone survivor of the helicopter crash.

“To say I am completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and prayers for our LifeSaver family would be a complete understatement,” Daniels said shortly after the incident. “My heart is shattered into a million pieces. My body is bruised and sore but will heal. My heart will not. I lost two very important people in my life. We all did.”

SCSO Chief Deputy Clay Hammac put into words at the time of the incident the pain felt by local first responders.

“This is a very difficult time for our public safety profession, here specifically in Shelby County because we count ourselves to be a family of all first responders, fire, medical and law enforcement,” Hammac said. “Many of us in this profession know these individuals that were involved, so this affects us very deeply.”

‘Something you never expect to see’

Rossetti was recognized during the Shelby County Chamber Public Safety Awards in September 2023, for his efforts during the incident a few months earlier. “He represents the kind of attitude and dedication to training and knowledge that we look for in our department,” Chelsea Fire Chief Joe Lee said at the time.

Rossetti accepted the plaque and smiled for the picture, but understandably, the incident had a profound effect on him. Suddenly the risks associated with his profession were stark.

“Aircraft calls are very unusual—something you never expect to see,” he said. “At the time, I was a pretty new flight medic. I had been doing that job for three months. You see something like that and it can make you question whether you want to continue flying.”

Rossetti said he thought back to why he got into the emergency line of work in the first place. “This is an industry of danger,” he said. “There are a lot of risks when you put yourself out there. It’s not necessarily anybody’s fault, but bad things happen.”

Born in Florida, Rossetti moved to Chelsea while still in school and graduated from Chelsea High School in 2013. He volunteered with the Chelsea Fire Department while in high school.

After graduating, Rossetti joined the United States Marine Corps. A desk job for a few months after completing his military service only reinforced the idea in Rossetti’s mind that he needed a career helping people, so he joined the Chelsea Fire Department in 2017.

“I wanted to make a difference,” Rossetti said. “I always had a heart for service and wanted to give back. I grew up here, so why not serve the community that I know.”

‘You do good every day’

Lee has been with the Chelsea Fire Department since 2015, after retiring as a lieutenant with about 25 years of service in Bessemer, and chief since February 2021. The department encompasses three stations, three engines, a ladder truck, two transport units, and 12 firefighters on duty each day.

Lee said that during the hiring process, he looks for good work ethic and good moral character. “We can usually tell that from their work history and also how they answer questions during the interview,” he said. “We put a high value on integrity. Josh certainly has both of those things.”

Integrity is so important because of the fire department’s role in the community—and not just when there’s an emergency. The department hosts a CPR program with one class a month for those who are interested. It also maintains a regular presence in the schools, including donating items to the EMS program.

“We have a really good relationship with the people we are entrusted to care for, and we take that very seriously,” Lee said.

Rossetti is currently a captain in a shift commander role for the fire department. He is charged with the tactical decision making on scene while also managing staffing and scheduling—kind of the link between department administration and the firefighters going on calls.

“Josh is highly intelligent,” Lee said. “To be so young, he has a really good head on his shoulders. He’s very motivated—self-motivated. We don’t have to motivate Josh to do the things he needs to do.”

What any given day holds for firefighters is anyone’s guess, and Rossetti said that’s one of the things he likes about the job.

“There are calls on everything you can imagine,” he said. “I delivered a baby in the front seat of a car alongside Captain Chase Armstrong. It’s joyful, a life coming into the world instead of going out, which we also see. There are calls about severe bleeding from cuts, motor vehicle accidents, fires, cardiac arrest and more.

“You do good every day. You might be picking someone up off the floor. To us, it’s nothing, but to them it probably means everything.

“That’s how you make a difference: the little things. I love what I do. I wouldn’t do anything else. I would do this job for free…I’d probably have to do something else on the side to make some money, but I would do this job for free.”