Truro Township is mourning a firefighter and father who died unexpectedly.
Tyler Norwood, 33, died early in the morning hours on Dec. 16, the Truro Township Fire Department said.
Deante Drummer, a Truro Township firefighter and Norwood’s friend, said he met Norwood at a career tech firefighting class in high school, and previously worked with him at the Clinton Township Fire Department. Norwood joined the Truro Township Fire Department in 2022, Drummer said.
Drummer said Norwood died suddenly after a brief illness. He felt sick for a few days, went to the hospital, and died within about 36 hours, Drummer said. It isn’t clear what killed him, Drummer said.
“It was just unexpected for things to go downhill really quickly,” Drummer said. “That’s the part that’s rough.”
Norwood was an outgoing, friendly man who loved to help others, Drummer said. People would call the fire station and ask for him by name to lead CPR classes.
“He just did a really good job with it,” Drummer said. “There was something about him. His smile was infectious.”
Norwood loved both firefighting and working as a medic, but Drummer said his heart was in the medic work.
After a medic run around Thanksgiving time last year, Norwood went and bought dinner and brought it to a patient’s house to make sure the patient and his family had food, Drummer said.
“His heart was just big,” Drummer said. “He knew that they didn’t have anything and he wanted to be able to help somehow.”
Norwood is survived by his parents, three brothers and a 4-year-old daughter, Drummer said.
Funeral arrangements for Norwood are incomplete. Drummer said the fire department is working with his family to plan something in his honor.
The fire department has made resources available to Norwood’s colleagues, Drummer said.
“Everybody’s just taking it one day at a time,” Drummer said. “You know, just trying to cope.”
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Truro Township mourns firefighter, father who died suddenly at 33
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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