The Great Lakes Fire Department, stationed near North Chicago, announced that one of its firefighters, a 21-year veteran of the department, died suddenly Sunday morning in Chicago.
“Today at Great Lakes Fire Department we are devastated by the loss of one of our own,” the department announced Sunday afternoon.
Lieutenant Jeff Peters, who resided in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was assigned to Tower 1931. He was found dead Sunday morning in Chicago.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately have information available regarding his death.
The Great Lakes Fire Department covers the Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County and is one of the busiest fire departments in the Navy.
Peters was an “integral part” of the Great Lakes Fire Department for 21 years.
Peters responded to countless structural, medical and rescue calls as well as calls for mutual aid from fire departments in the region, “saving lives and property, and providing hope to the people in our charge in their darkest hours,” the department said.
“Jeff was an outstanding firefighter, friend, and mentor. He was a colleague we always looked forward to having on shift and a colleague we were always grateful to have on scene, no matter the call.”
The intelligence, friendship, and dedication Peters brought to the department “will be sorely missed,” the department said, adding that “Great Lakes has a hole in its heart today.”
“The sudden loss of a true and trusted colleague and friend reminds us to cherish our brothers and sisters, and we hold on to the hope that brighter days lie ahead,” the department added.
Officials asked the public to keep Peters’ family, particularly his three children, in their thoughts and prayers.