Fire Official Dies While Attempting to Rescue Two From Flash Flood

A fire official from Mid-Missouri drowned on Monday while attempting to rescue two individuals from a flash flood.

Boone County Fire Protection District (BCFD) Assistant Chief Matthew Tobben was killed after his inflatable rescue boat capsized during an early morning rescue mission with the Columbia Fire Department (CFD), according to Fire Chief Scott Olsen. Two evacuees and a fireman from the CFD were rescued and are stable.

BCFD assistant chief Gale Blomenkamp informed reporters that when his boat lost power, the CFD fireman and Tobben sounded the mayday signal. The raft may have collided with objects as it drifted, he said. All four of them apparently went overboard as the boat overturned.

Blomenkamp informed reporters that Tobben had tried and failed to grasp a tow rope while submerged. Whether Tobben discarded them or the water’s power washed them away is unclear; rescuers subsequently discovered Tobben’s helmet and life jacket drifting downstream, according to Blomenkamp.

The loss of Tobben was a big hit to the community and the fire service since, according to Blomenkamp, no one was more qualified than Matt Tobben for this type of situation.

According to Blomenkamp, Tobben served 19 years with the Missouri Union Fire Department and has engaged in search and rescue missions nationally. His voice quivering with emotion, he said Tobben had been a member of BCFD’s Urban Search and Rescue Missouri Task Force 1 since 2012.

His tenure as the training chief began on May 1st. According to Blomenkamp, he had excellent credentials.

A driver was supposedly saved from floodwaters by Tobben on May 3.

Blomenkamp disclosed that the Missouri State Water Patrol had initiated the investigation into Tobben’s death.

Tobben’s death was the second in as many days caused by flash floods in Boone County caused by severe rainfall. His wife and two small children survive Tobben.