I am reaching out to you today because I stand with our community as we demand JUSTICE for fallen firefighter Yaroslav Katkov who passed while on duty at Cal Fire San Diego Fire Station 16 in De Luz in July of 2019. Yaro was only 28 years old when he died at the hands of his very own captain, Joe Ekblad. The facts stated in the public reports clearly paint the picture of severe neglect for human safety, but also lack of any moral and professional conduct.  Yaro's death was completely avoidable as his captain, Joe Ekblad, failed to act on the clear and universal signs of distress in this critical moment of a medical emergency. This extreme negligence cost the world an amazing human life, yet Joe Ekblad is still working at Cal Fire and in a position where other lives depend on him.  I stand with my community and demand justice for Yaro, and for every firefighter out there putting their life on the line for our communities!  The men and women of the fire community should never have to fear for their lives on a routine non-emergency task, nor should anyone in our community fear if the first responders coming to their rescue can make critical lifesaving decisions in an emergency. Joe Ekblad is a risk and our community is relying on the people in power, such as yourself, to make things right.

I implore you to read the Green Sheets and the OSHA report so you may read for yourself what Yaro endured at the end of his life that day. This was so much more than just a tragic accident and our entire community can see that.

Yaro completed this training hike every day without problems, but on the morning of July 28th, he struggled. He struggled immensely because he was experiencing a medical emergency and he stated directly to his captain that something was wrong. Joe Ekblad admitted that he saw the universal signs of distress but chose not to be the hero who saved his fire brother that day by acknowledging the emergency and seeking medical help in a critical moment, but instead he CHOSE to push Yaro in an inhumane way and administer no aid until Yaro reached a point where no one at all could save his life. Joe Ekblad ignored more than 22 opportunities to respond to Yaro's emergency and save his life! Joe instead chose to literally shove Yaro's 107-degree body up the rest of the steep mountain until it literally collapsed face-forward unconscious and began to suffer from seizures; that’s when Joe Ekblad decided to call for help. This was hours after the first sign of distress and Yaro never gained consciousness again. Joe took no responsibility and stated that maybe it was Yaro’s “condition” to blame that day. Governor is this how first responders are trained? To blame the victims of 911 calls for having a health emergency and then provide no treatment? THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY AND THEY DIDN’T DO THEIR JOB AS FIRST RESPONDERS and this falls on Joe Ekblad.

Reasonable Expectations:

1. Joe Ekblad should no longer be employed with Cal Fire or be in ANY position where he is expected to make critical lifesaving decisions or take emergency actions
2. Extreme changes must occur to ensure Cal Fire implements proper training because this was not the first violation. Unless you make changes and conduct extreme oversight then this will not be the last.  This investigation identified that Cal Fire failed to follow their own procedure to create proper training, so oversight and follow-up are vital to execute this.
3. Investigate Cal Fire’s leadership training and methodology to ensure the rumors in the fire community about Cal Fire’s hazing culture is addressed and a zero-tolerance stance is made. 
4. We need to see these changes quickly! I stand for our fire community and no family should ever have to experience this kind of horrific truth. Every firefighter should be able to return home to his or her family after their shifts, especially from routine non-emergencies. Please let this tragedy be the last example of its kind and let Yaro's horrific story be the catalyst you need to take necessary actions NOW

Please visit the website where we have a template that you can copy and paste to send an email to our governor.

Justiceforyaroslav.wixsite.com

Please visit our instagram :

@justice4firefighter_Yaroslav

or follow his story as well on

@ciaobella92