Utah Fire Chief Killed in Crash

Utah Fire Chief Killed in Crash - Firehouse.com In The Line Of Duty:

"SARATOGA SPRINGS - For a fire chief who died Thursday after his truck plunged from a cliff into Deer Creek Reservoir, colleagues here echoed a consistent refrain: A big man leaves a big void.

'He's irreplaceable on so many fronts,' city fire Capt. Tayna Kahn said of Chief Michael J. Penovich.

The 38-year-old chief was driving a fire department pickup truck south on U.S. Highway 189 after a meeting in Heber City about 10 a.m., when the pickup veered off an 80-foot embankment to the west. Police said the truck bounced off the ground and into the reservoir, where authorities found Penovich dead in the cab under 50 feet of water.

Firefighters gathered tearfully near the half-staff flag outside the Saratoga Springs fire station Thursday evening to eulogize the man they called 'Teddy Bear' for his immense stature and gentle demeanor.

'You heard his voice on the radio, and it just had a calming effect,' said Todd Butterfield, a firefighter in nearby Cedar Fort, where Penovich was chief for six years before taking the top post in Saratoga Springs in April 2006."