The Buckeye Fire Department announced this week that one of its own had succumbed to COVID-19.
The department announced, in a Facebook post, that Engineer Brian Miiller had lost a one-month battle with COVID-19.
The department said the 15-year veteran of the department contracted the virus in a work-related exposure.
“Hired in 2007, Brian served many years for the Buckeye Valley Fire District and its citizens,” the department said. “He brought wisdom and a bright light to BVFD. He encouraged fitness and teamwork through impromptu games of frisbee, football, or dodgeball at the fire station. After a day of dominating at sports, he would continue his winning streak at the dinner table, crushing any eating competitions.”
Miller is survived by his wife, Debra, and two children, Lauren and Jared.
A study involving the University of Arizona showed first-responders are about twice as likely to contract COVID-19 as the rest of the population.
Researchers from UArizona Health Sciences, the CDC, the Arizona Department of Health Services and Marshfield Laboratories collaborated to analyze the weekly COVID-19 test results of 1,766 health care personnel, first responders and other essential workers, data that was gathered from July 2020 through March 2021.
First responders had twice the incidence of COVID-19 infection as frontline health care workers – 13.2% vs. 6.7% – with the incidence in other essential workers similar to that of health care workers.
