Firefighter/Technician James McRae, III

DC Fire & EMS spokesman Alan Etter confirms this morning that Firefighter James McRae, III, died overnight at the Washington Hospital Center of an apparent heart attack.

James McRae had been on duty as the tillerman at Truck 12 in Tenleytown. According to Etter, Firefighter McRae woke up not feeling well around 3:00 this morning. Etter says the paramedic from Engine 20, at the same firehouse, began treating McRae for symptoms of a heart attack.

McRae was taken to Sibley Hospital. Etter said doctors at Sibley determined that McRae needed specialized treatment at the Washington Hospital Center (WHC). It was doing the helicopter flight to WHC that McRae went into cardiac arrest.

James McRae was 34 years old and leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter.