San Francisco Firefighter-Paramedic Dies During Training Exercise

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco Fire Department officials confirmed a firefighter-paramedic died during a training accident Wednesday morning.

Jason Cortez suffered an injury during a training exercise around 10 a.m. and was immediately rushed to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries an hour later, fire department spokesman Jonathan Baxter said.

Baxter didn't say exactly what kind of injuries Cortez suffered.

"This is a very trying time," he said, describing Cortez as a paramedic who had been with the department since 2007 and was currently stationed in the Tenderloin.

"He's a friend to all, he's an advocate for public safety, he's a father to two children, a husband to an amazing wife; and a child to a retired San Francisco firefighter," he said of Cortez.

Firefighters will hold a procession later Wednesday afternoon from the hospital to the San Francisco medical examiner's office at 1 Newhall St. in honor of Cortez.

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--Bay City News contributed to this post