WAPANUCKA, OK- A local volunteer fire department is mourning the loss of one of their own after deadly car crash early this morning. 22 year old Chance Brooks of Bromide was killed after he hit a horse on State Highway 7, lost control and hit a tree. Troopers say he died at the scene. Brooks was a Wapanucka volunteer fireman.

"The young ones aren't supposed to go before we, we go. It's just not supposed to happen like that," said Sharla Schultz. A family friend and fellow firefighter.

The death of Chance Brooks came as a shock to an entire town. His death hit especially hard at the Wapanucka Volunteer Fire Department.

"As the chief you're kind of like the dad. It's hard. I watched him grow up in school, had him here, he's like one of my kids," said Chief Gary Reeder.

Chief Gary Reeder was one of the men who responded to the crash early Thursday morning. Only to find it was one of his own.

"It's really rough on all of us. You know we've worked a lot of crashes. We do a lot of different things with a lot of people. When you pull up and it's one of your guys, that you've done a lot a stuff with over the years, trained with, laughed with," said Chief Reeder.

Brooks served the city on the department for four years. He and his brother started on the department together.

"Anytime someone needed help, he dropped what he was doing and he was helping them," said Reeder.

Brooks was more than a fireman. He loved working on cars and better yet making people smile. Which is what many say they're going to miss most.

"He just never quit smiling," said Schultz.

Reeder added, "the hardest part for us is not going to have his smile around."

To fellow brothers and sisters who suit up in fire gear he's more like family.

"He wasn't just a fireman he was like one of my kids. My kid went to school with him, they played baseball together, they took jujitsu together and that's hard. It's just really hard," said Schultz.

Chief Reeder says though his smile is gone it will carry on throughout the department.

"With the absence of him and his smile around, we're going to continue to smile for him so that way his memory lives on," said Chief Reeder.

Neighboring Bromide Volunteer Fire Department has lowered their flag to half staff in his honor. Brooks' funeral will be held Monday at 2p.m. at the Bromide Baptist Church.