Cassandra Powell, 32, a firefighter from the McLeansville, North Carolina, Fire Department was killed September 23, 2002 when she lost control of the pumper truck she was driving on a non-emergency assignment.

Powell had joined the mostly-volunteer McLeansville department as a paid firefighter only five weeks before, but had spent a number of years driving for other Guilford County departments.

Powell left McLeansville's headquarters station after picking up equipment and was returning alone to Station #27, where she was assigned as a driver, when she lost control of the 1975 Ford tanker, fully loaded with 1250 gallons of water.

Cassandra was recently married to Joe Powell, a captain for Fire District 13 in northeast Guilford County. Besides her husband, she is survived by two children, a 14-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, from a previous marriage.

More details are available at Firehouse.com .