Hardin Co. Fire Department remembers fallen firefighter
HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — The Hardin County Fire Department is devastated by the sudden loss of a fellow fireman who was killed in a crash Tuesday while he was responding to a fire call. “He was helping out and going to a neighbor in need,” Hardin County Fire Chief Melvin Martin said. His best friend, Phillip Tilley, said once you met Gus Losleben, you never forgot him. “He loved animals, he had a farm, he believed in self-healing, friendship, love, kindness,” Tilley said. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said Losleben died in an early morning crash on Holland Creek Road near Savannah. Tilley said firefighters still fought the fire even after learning Losleben had been airlifted from the crash site. “I had to separate myself from that emergency and have to look back at — he’s my family,” Tilley said. Tilley said Gus joined the department at the age of 65. “We responded to a call at his house, and it left such an impact on him that he wanted to be a part of it,” he said. Tilley said he was a great fit for the team and challenged the other firefighters. “When you take someone that gets into the service at 60 years old and gives like he gave, it’s special because there were times you had young firefighters, ‘oh I’m so tired, oh, this is bearing on me,’ and he just never complained,” Tilley said. Losleben leaves behind his wife, Megan, and a department full of heartbroken brothers. “I think that’s what he loved most about it — being able to help someone,” Tilley said. “It’s just sad he lost his life giving to others.” Chief Martin said no funeral arrangements have been made, but the department plans to give him a funeral with full honors since he died in the line of duty.
