Minn. Firefighter Dies on Medical Call from `Unknown Illness`

Feb. 23--A veteran firefighter on a medical-emergency call north of Duluth died from what officials are saying was an "unknown illness."

Rice Lake Township firefighter Randy M. Hiti, 57, was stricken Wednesday while on the call, according to the Minnesota State Fire Department Association.

Hiti "passed away from an unknown illness," the association said in a notice posted on its website.

Hiti had been with the volunteer fire department for 26 years and taught fire prevention to Duluth third-graders at Homecroft Elementary School for 10 years. His daughter Katherine recently joined the department.

Hiti is survived by his wife, Laura, and daughters Anne and Katherine. Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. John's Catholic Church, 4230 St. John's Av., Duluth. A processional of public safety vehicles is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Dougherty Funeral Home on E. 2nd Street in Duluth to the church for services. It will continue after the service to Calvary Cemetery in Superior, Wis., for Hiti's burial.

Paul Walsh

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