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Boone County assistant fire chief drowns during water rescue Monday

Assistant Chief Matt Tobben was thrown into the water and drowned after his boat overturned, according to the Boone County Fire Protection District.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Boone County firefighter died in the line of duty early Monday morning while assisting the Columbia Fire Department with a water rescue in Columbia.

According to a Facebook post from the fire protection district, Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Matt Tobben was working alongside a Columbia firefighter on a swift water rescue operation at Rangeline Street and Bear Creek. The firefighters had rescued two people before their Zodiak boat overturned, and Tobben was thrown from the boat and drowned.

The other firefighter and the two victims were rescued and doing OK, according to the fire protection district.

According the fire protection district's website, Tobben was the bureau director of training.

Boone County Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp said Tobben was a member of Missouri Task Force One for more than 10 years and became the training chief for the Boone County Fire Protection District in May. Before joining the Boone County Fire Protection District, he was a 19-year veteran with the Union Fire Department. 

"Please keep (Tobben's) family in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time," Boone County Fire Protection District Chief Scott Olsen said in the post.

Blomenkamp said it was the second flooding-related drowning in the county in the last week. According to KOMU, the other drowning occurred when a woman was in a car that was swept away by floodwaters on July 3.

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