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TFD Lieutenant Sarah Cooksey was killed in an off-duty accident

A woman in a pink shirt holds a helmet as she leans against a pink fire truck
City of Tallahassee
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Used with permission
Lt. Sarah Cooksey, seen alongside her pink fire truck. Cooksey used the truck to raise support for people with cancer and their families

Sarah Cooksey, one of the Tallahassee Fire Department's most prominent faces, has died. Reports of Cooksey's death first began circulating early Monday morning on social media.

The city of Tallahassee confirmed her passing later in the day in a statement. The city says Cooksey died Sunday in an off-duty accident.

She had been recently acting as the fire Departments spokeswoman and was a lieutenant. Cooksey’s career in public service started early. When she was 14, the city says she joined the explorer program with the Clay County Fire and Rescue. She went to EMT school, completed her first certification, and joined the city of Tallahassee in 2002.

Cooksey was a cancer support champion and founded the Tallahassee chapter of the non-profit, Pink Heals. The pink fire truck often seen around town was hers.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

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