Oklahoma City Fire Department announced Monday that Major Andy Davis, who died on Christmas Eve, contracted the COVID-19 virus while responding to a call.
His death was followed by the death of a second firefighter, Robert Saudia, a support service specialist who died Monday at his home in southern Oklahoma City. Both men died at the age of 45.
Davis and Saudia are among 171 firefighters who contracted the virus, 148 of whom have since recovered. No further details were available on Monday about Saudia’s death. He was in the service of power for two years.
Fire Chief Richard Kelley fought back tears at a news conference Monday afternoon when he spoke about Davis, a 20-year veteran who was stationed at Fire Station no. 10 in NW 16 and Pennsylvania Avenue just west of the Plaza District.
“Andy was lovely,” Kelley said. “He was a joy to be around because he always had a funny story or a one-line to laugh about. He was the type of firefighter you always wanted on the incident scene, because you knew he would always get the job. ”
Davis comes from a family of firefighters who served the city for half a century. He was the son of retired Captain Johnny Davis, brother of Deputy Chief Tony Davis and Major Scott Davis and uncle of Cpl. AJ Davis.
“This is a family that has been serving this community for years,” Kelley said. “We grieve with his family and want to do for this family whatever we can.”
Davis first showed symptoms on Dec. 11. He was tested by the fire department’s medical unit and tested positive for COVID-19. On December 15, he coughed and suffered from cough, headache, fever and fatigue. He was admitted to the hospital the next day.