| Name | Juan Bucio |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 46 to 50 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
| Date of Death | 5/28/2018 |
| Cause of Death | Caught/Trapped |
| Nature of Death | Asphyxiation |
| Attribute of Death | Drowning |
| Type of Duty | Water rescue operations |
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 5/28/2018 |
| Incident Location | Water/Waterfront |
| Incident Attribute |
On May 28th, 2018, Firefighter/EMT Juan J. Bucio of the Chicago Fire Department died in the line of duty while attempting to rescue a missing boater.
On May 28th, the Chicago Fire Department responded to a distress call around 7:50 p.m. about a man who fell into the South Branch of the Chicago River, near where it intersects Ashland Avenue. Firefighter/EMT Juan J. Bucio and his dive partner descended into the river from a helicopter. When a Chicago Fire Department boat came close to the divers, Bucio’s head went under the waves. The boat crew pulled out Bucio’s partner and issued a mayday call around 8:25 p.m. when they realized Bucio was missing.
Around 8:50 p.m, the Chicago Police Department Marine Unit divers pulled Bucio from the water, and he was sent to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:02 p.m.
Funeral services for Bucio were held at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine, followed by burial at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. He was survived by his widow and two sons.
Bucio, a 15-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department, joined the dive team in 2007.
Citations:
“Chicago Fire Department diver dies while searching for missing diver,” Chicago Tribune web article, May 29, 2018.
“CFD diver who died while searching Chicago River for missing boater identified,” ABC7 Chicago web article, May 29, 2018.
“Chicago Fire Dept. diver killed searching for man in river,” CBS News web article, May 29, 2018.
“USFA: Chicago On-Duty Death – Fire Engineering,” FireEngineering web article, May 29, 2018.
“Chicago firefighters honor fallen comrade Juan Bucio; funeral on Monday,” Chicago Sun Times, web article, June 4, 2018.
“Man who fell off boat, prompting search that left diver dead, hoped to 'give his children a better future',” Chicago Tribune web article, May 30, 2018.
“Funeral Set For Fire Department Diver Juan Bucio, ‘One Of The Best We Had’,” CBS Local web article, May 30, 2018.
Additional Resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face201809.pdf