Israel Matzav

Haifa Deputy Police Chief dies of injuries from fire

Haifa Deputy Police Chief Ahuva Tomer, the first woman commander in the police force, died this morning (Monday) of burns sustained in Haifa's Carmel forest fire. Her funeral will be held at 3:00 Monday afternoon.

Tomer had been in critical condition since rushing into flames to check the condition of the dozens of Prisons Service cadets trapped in the deadly Carmel blaze on Thursday.

Responding to news of Tomer's death, Police Insp.-Gen. David Cohen said Sunday, "Ahuva our friend, decorated commander, brave and beloved iron woman, that stood through difficult tests of fire and prevailed, she lived and died as a hero." Cohen continued, "The entire Israel Police family is suffering with sadness and pain today."

Tomer was captured on camera minutes before the tragedy, driving together with a staff officer toward the blaze, telling reporters that she was on her way to check first-hand what the situation was in the Carmel Forest. Seconds before she sped off in her police car, Tomer expressed concern for mothers and children in nearby Kibbutz Beit Oren, who were being evacuated.

Tomer continued to issue commands over her field radio until she became trapped in the blaze, and the commands became urgent cries for assistance. By the time rescuers reached the senior commander, she was badly burned all over her body.

After being rushed to the hospital, medical teams spent two hours resuscitating her, then transferring her to the burn unit at Rambam.

In an era when senior police officers tend to reach the headlines for negative reasons, Tomer has consistently made headlines as a groundbreaker in the Israel Police.

In 1997, Tomer became the first woman commander of an Israel Police station, taking command of police in the northern city of Nahariya. In December 2006, Tomer became the first female district-level operations commander in the Israel Police, serving as operations commander in the Northern District. The Northern District is comparable to the Northern Command in the IDF, and no woman in the IDF or in the police had ever held such a high rank in the field of operational command.

Less than three years later, Tomer again made history when she was appointed to lead the massive Haifa Station and became the first woman to command a major police station, with over 500 police under her direct command.

Read the whole thing.

May her family be comforted among all mourners for Zion and Jerusalem and may her memory be blessed.

Labels: Carmel forest, forest fire, Haifa, Haifa police commander

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:55 PM