UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — A fire marshal died of cardiac arrest Thursday night.
Several hours after responding to a medical call, Samir “Sam” Ashmar, 51, was found in cardiac arrest at his residence, the Allentown Morning Call reported. He was treated and transported by fellow responders to a hospital where he succumbed to his injury.
Ashmar was a member of the Upper Macungie Township Station 56 for 32 years and was the township’s fire marshal.
“His departure will leave an immense void in the township,” said Edward Earley, a former supervisor who recommended Ashmar to fill a vacancy on the board in 2007.
Ashmar, who was elected to a full six-year term in 2009, was a vice president with Wells Fargo Bank. Earley said his friend’s financial insight and deep involvement in the fire service were the chief reasons he had recommended him for the position, according to the report.
“I’m heartbroken,” Earley said. “He was a friend and an esteemed colleague for many years. Words cannot express my sympathy to his family.”
Township Manager Daniel Olpere said the mood at the municipal building was somber.
“As I walked around talking to the staff this morning, they all said the same thing,” Olpere said. “He was an incredible, caring person, so passionate, so engaged in his community.”
Ashmar’s involvement in the township came at all levels.
“The untold hours he spent with the fire company, volunteering with the planning commission, the sewer authority and I don’t know what else,” Olpere said. “If there was a cause, Sam was there.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been released.