Ebenezer Fire Protection District remembers firefighter who died in line of duty 1 year ago

EBENEZER, Mo. (KY3) - Ebenezer Fire Protection District Volunteer Firefighter Dustin Brandhorst died one year ago.

The 36-year-old died in a crash on State Highway A while responding to a fire call in Fair Grove. Ebenezer Assistant Fire Chief, Heath Dalton, said he is missed greatly.

“You still think about or look at your phone to see who’s calling, and you still think maybe, maybe, that’s going to be him,” said Dalton.

Dustin Brandhorst was a volunteer firefighter at the Ebenezer Fire Protection District for three years. Dalton said he lost his life responding to a call, doing what he loved.

“You can’t replace, you can’t replace that type of ethic,” said Dalton.

Brandhorst had a wife and two kids. Dalton said Brandhorst’s family and fire service were his world.

“His goal was to be a career firefighter,” said Dalton.

Dalton said Brandhorst was on his way to becoming a full-time firefighter.

“You knew he was going to call. He’s going to say, hey, where do you need me? What do you need? What apparatus do you need,” said Dalton. “You knew he was going to call, and you knew he was going to be there.”

Dalton said since Brandhorst’s death, it has been hard to recruit more volunteer firefighters, especially ones with his work ethic.

“He’d help out his neighbor just as much as you would us,” said Dalton. “He was a pretty busy guy. Pretty, pretty busy.”

Dalton said there would be a memorial at Ebenezer’s new fire station. He said Brandhorst’s legacy would be as a great father and husband and a pillar of the community.

“You come across those types of people very, very rare,” said Dalton. “In the fire service, you see a lot of them, you think, he’s pretty rare. He’s he was a rare breed.”

In a statement from his wife, Erin Brandhorst:

“Dustin was a friend to everyone and always willing to help others. He loved to spend time with family and spend time outdoors. Our kids were his whole world. If he wasn’t with us or working, he was at the fire station. He loved being a firefighter.”

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