A veteran Austintown firefighter died while on duty Monday morning.

John Fritz, a member of the Austintown Fire Department since 1992, is believed to have died in his sleep at Austintown Fire Station #1.

Fritz was working a 24 hour shift which started at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, according to Fire Chief Andrew Frost.

His crew ran several emergency calls throughout the shift, including an emergency medical call around 7 a.m Monday  When Fritz did not report to the truck for the call, his crew found him unresponsive.

His crew along with the Lane Lifetrans Ambulance/Austintown Fire Department Co-Op truck assigned to that station, found themselves working on one of thier own members.  Fritz did not regain consciousness.

Fritz, 48, began his career part-time for eight years before becoming a career firefighter in 2000.

He also served as a Fire Instructor for the AFD and the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

Fritz is survived by his wife Karen and five children.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Chief Frost says more details will be released Tuesday morning.  

A gofundme account has been set up for his family to help with funeral costs - gofundme.com/johnfritz