CENTERVILLE, Ohio
- Less than five weeks ago, officers from this suburban Dayton police department grieved for two Cincinnati police officers gunned down in the line of duty.
Monday, Centerville's 38 police officers and more than 100 area firefighters mourned the loss of two of their own.
Centerville Police Officer John P. Kalaman, 29, and Robert J. O'Toole, 26, a Montgomery County township firefighter - EMT died after a Camaro struck them early Monday as they assisted a driver involved in a single-car crash.
The accident occurred along an Interstate 675 median near the Wilmington Pike exit, about 50 miles north of Cincinnati.
Mr. O'Toole also had been a part-time firefighter with the Clearcreek Fire District in Warren County since mid-December.
Firefighter - EMT Charles D. Arnold, 29, was listed in critical condition Monday at Miami Valley Hospital. He was hit by the same Camaro.
An icy overpass likely played a part in the accidents, but the Ohio State Highway Patrol continues to investigate.
''It is more difficult to investigate the death of your friend than you can ever imagine,'' Centerville Officer Steve Maynard said at the accident scene just west of the Greene County line.
Monday's tragedy came six weeks after Cincinnati Officer Daniel Pope and Spc. Ronald Jeter were shot to death while trying to serve an arrest warrant in Clifton Heights.
It also comes as Covington police search the Ohio River for Officer Mike Partin, who fell from the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge into the water Jan. 4. He slipped through a gap between the roadway and walkway while rushing to help another officer capture a fleeing suspect. As those communities come to grips with their grief, the 23,500 who live in Centerville begin their own healing.
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On Monday, flags outside city offices flew at half-staff and police and fire personnel wore black bands across their badges. City phones were flooded with calls from police agencies around Southwest Ohio offering sympathy and support. Several stress management teams counseled officers and firefighters.
Today, several Cincinnati police officers will travel to Centerville to advise the city about logistics in the days ahead based on their experience last month.
''They are rather numb and have a lot of questions,'' a somber Centerville Police Chief Stephen E. Walker said. ''This is a very close-knit department.''
Authorities said Monday's deadly crash happened like this: Rescuers were on I-675's median investigating a 6:33 a.m. single-car crash involving a southbound Mercury Capri that had struck a guardrail. The Camaro, also traveling southbound, spun out of control and struck the Capri and the police officer and two firefighters. A third southbound vehicle crashed into a firetruck parked in the median.
2 others hurt seriously
Two Montgomery County drivers were seriously hurt and taken to Dayton-area hospitals. The third driver suffered minor injuries and also was taken to a Miami Valley Hospital.
The interstate was shut down for nearly nine hours.
As news of the deaths trickled throughout the Miami Valley, authorities held an afternoon news conference.
Mr. O'Toole, a firefighter in Montgomery County's Washington Township for more than three years, was dedicated to helping others. Also a firefighter with the Clearcreek Township Fire Department in Warren County, he was attending Sinclair Community College to complete his paramedic certification.
''His wife said it best: This is his life,'' Fire Chief Ken Parks said.
''He was a real energetic individual,'' added Bernie Becker, Clearcreek Fire District chief. ''He was very focused on helping the community.
''No matter where it happens in the United States . . . (the death of an officer or firefighter) affects all of us.''
Officer Kalaman, a five-year member of the Centerville police department, lived by a similar credo.
''He was an outstanding officer,'' Chief Walker said. ''He always volunteered to go the extra mile.''
That was the case Monday.
Officer Kalaman was to work until 8 a.m. and volunteered to take over the routine accident scene for an officer who was to get off work at 7 a.m. He also had been in the city's service department earlier Monday to let them know where to salt slick spots on the road, Chief Walker said.
Officer Kalaman, survived by his mother and father in Kettering, Ohio, is the first Centerville police officer to die in the line of duty.
2nd firefighter to die
Mr. O'Toole, survived by wife, Monica, is the second Washington Township firefighter to die on duty. In November 1955, volunteer firefighter Dr. Robert Hedges walked onto a high tension wire during a tornado and was electrocuted.
Visitation for Officer Kalaman is 5-8 p.m. Thursdayat Tobias Funeral Home, 5471 Far Hills Ave. in Washington Township. A prayer service is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Friday at the funeral home with a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Incarnation in Centerville. Burial will be at David's Cemetery in Kettering.
Services for Mr. O'Toole were pending Monday.
