Ienn's death leaves city mourning

A body found hanging from a bridge in central Omaha has been identified as that of Ralston Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kyle Ienn.

Omaha Police discovered Ienn's body shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning on a pedestrian bridge near 69th and Pine streets, near the campus of the College of St. Mary.

OPD is investigating the death as a suicide.

Ienn was 40.

"It's a really sad day for our community," Ralston Mayor Don Groesser said. "We've lost a dear friend, we've lost our fire chief. The city is just suffering a tremendous loss right now."

Ienn was with RVFD for nearly 21 years, including the last decade as chief.

In that time, he was a nationally recognized advocate and expert on fireworks safety and for the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty.

In recent years, Ienn took the lead in growing RVFD to its largest membership in history, with 56 members at the close of 2011.

To do so, Ienn worked to secure grants for recruitment and retention and traveled the country touting his plan of bringing on more volunteer firefighters at a time when volunteer services nationwide were suffering significant losses in personnel.

"Kyle always had something to say," Groesser said. "And he was always working for the fire service and taking that out to our community and the nation."

Also in December 2011, after a spate of smoking-related fires in Ralston, La Vista and Omaha, Ienn became a spokesman for the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition's RentSmokeFree.org campaign and was featured in a televised public service announcement asking landlords and renters to demand smoke-free housing in the metro area.

Ienn was also instrumental in helping promote the department's honor guard, which has participated in National Fallen Firefighters ceremonies in Maryland for the last several years.

In addition to his work with the city's fire department, Ienn was also a manager at an Ace Hardware store near 55th and Center streets in Omaha.

Mike Bolte, a retired RVFD member who served with Ienn on the department and is part of the department's honor guard, said the chief's vision was unparalleled.

"Kyle sees the big picture, way beyond Ralston," Bolte said. "From his work with the National Fallen Firefighters to what he's done with fireworks safety, he saw things in a way bigger world.

"And he was a volunteer. That's what was most special about Kyle. He did all this and it wasn't even something he was paid to do."

Ienn had devoted much of his life to public service, working first for the Ralston Parks Department in the 1980s before signing on with the fire department shortly after his 1989 graduation from Ralston High School.

He attended St. Gerald Catholic School and while at RHS, met his wife, Christine, who serves as administrative assistant for RVFD.

Tuesday morning after the news was reported, dozens of Ienn's fellow firefighters were with Christine at the couple's Papillion home.

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Tom Negley, who served as fire chief for eight years immediately prior to Ienn's tenure, said his successor was "a Ralston boy" through and through.

"Kyle has taken this department to a completely different level," Negley said. "I was thrilled when Kyle said he'd take the job as chief because I knew he'd do an excellent job."

At present, Negley, along with RVFD Assistant Chief Joe Eischeid, will be taking over administrative and day-to-day operations of the department.

"It's going to be tough," Eischeid said. "We train so that we know what to expect in a situation, but a lot of guys in there just don't know what to say about this.

"Filling Kyle's shoes, I don't know what to say, where to begin. He's been such a part of this department that you don't know what to say."

In his more than 30 years on the department, Eischeid said Ienn was the most visionary leader RVFD had ever seen.

"He had contacts all over the country," he said.

"He's been the best chief I've ever served under and he's done more for the department than any other chief we've ever had."

In addition to his wife, Christine, Ienn is also survived by three children, his mother, Dianne, of Ralston, and two brothers.

Funeral arrangements were still pending at press time.

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