A member of the LaCrosse volunteer fire department has died. Ken Caldwell passed away unexpectedly, in the line of duty, last week.

Caldwell was sworn in on August of 2001 and quickly became an exceptional department asset, according to the department’s post on Facebook.

They described Caldwell as the best of the best — stating there wasn’t an engine that he’d shy away from fixing, inspecting, or operating and that he did anything and everything asked of him, to the best of his ability, every time.

His life will be celebrated on Monday afternoon at the Center of LaCrosse.

A visitation will take place from 4 p.m. – 6p.m. with a service honoring Ken’s life afterward.

Caldwell died a few hours after responding to a brush fire.