Donald Hubbel

[ Age 42 ] The city fire captain, an expert on rescues and emergency services, participated in several major efforts.

Capt. Donald Hubbel, who headed the Baltimore City Fire Department's main rescue unit, died of an apparent heart attack Friday at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. He was 42.

Family members said Captain Hubbel collapsed after exercising on a treadmill at his Bel Air home. That morning, he had driven his son, Nicholas Stromberg, to his last day's class at the city Fire Academy, where the 18-year-old graduated later in the day.

When freight cars in the Howard Street Tunnel caught fire in 2001, Captain Hubbel was among the first responders. Nearly three years later, he spent 10 consecutive days on the recovery effort after a water taxi capsized in Baltimore Harbor, resulting in the deaths of five tourists. He spent much of that time in an inflatable raft assisting divers, fire officials said.

In honor of Captain Hubbel, the U.S. flag and the Fire Department flag will fly at half-staff for the next 30 days at each of the city's 40 fire stations.

"He was extremely level-headed and liked the challenge of assessing an emergency situation and then figuring out how to best handle it," said Division Chief Joe Brocato, a friend and close associate. "He was very mechanically inclined, which helped him deal with the challenges of technical rescue. He also loved being a teacher to Fire Academy recruits."

Born in Baltimore and raised in Overlea, he was 1983 Overlea High School graduate. He attended classes at Essex Community College and later took numerous fire science courses. He served in the Navy and was an electrician before joining the Fire Department in 1993. He was initially assigned to the Glen Avenue truck company. He was promoted to emergency vehicle driver and assigned to two other fire stations, Truck 18 in Walbrook and then to downtown Rescue 1, at the Steadman Station, Eutaw and Lombard streets.

He became a lieutenant at Engine 52 at Mondawmin and returned to Rescue 1. He was promoted to captain and headed Squads 47 and 54, on Wilkens Avenue and Bel Air Road, respectively, and most recently rejoined other firefighters and medics at the Rescue 1 in downtown Baltimore.

Captain Hubbel, who was part of the department's Special Operations Command, also was a member of the city's special rescue operations team, a rescue specialist for the Maryland Task Force II and other area rescue units. He was also a Fire Academy adjunct instructor.During his career, Captain Hubbel received numerous department commendations for outstanding acts of service and many distinguished service awards, among them a meritorious conduct medal, an exemplary performance medal and four distinguished unit citations.

When Tropical Storm Isabel struck the Baltimore area in 2003, and many streets near the harbor flooded, he supervised the rescue of several people in Southeast Baltimore. In 2005, he went to St. Bernard Parish, La., which was hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina, to help with rescue and recovery efforts there.

"He was all about rescue," his son said. "He loved his job. It was like his home. He was always figuring out the best way to do a rescue. He could size up how to cut open a car door from a wreck. He taught us how to deal with a school bus or a tractor-trailer. He was always thinking."

Captain Hubbel had planned to hand his son his Fire Academy diploma at Friday night's graduation ceremonies.

He was a member of the Holy Communion Lutheran Church.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Mountain Christian Church, 1824 Mountain Road in Joppa.

In addition to his son, survivors include his wife of 10 years, the former Diane Marino; two other sons, Michael Stromberg and Andrew Stromberg, both of Bel Air; two daughters, Amanda Hubbel and Tabitha Hubbel, both of Overlea; his father, Wayne Hubbel of Edgewater, Fla.; and two sisters, C. Debbie Shifflett of Bel Air and Susan Hubbel of Glen Rock, Pa.