Versailles Assistant Fire Chief Jason Dunmire Dies in Motorcycle Crash

VERSAILLES – The assistant fire chief of Versailles died Sunday when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a deer near Naples.

Jason Dunmire’s presence will be greatly missed by the community he has served so well since he was a teenager, said Versailles Fire Chief Chuck Northcut.

“He served his community with distinction for over 20 years as a firefighter. He was also an EMT and was named assistant chief of the department in February 2023,” Northcut said.

Northcut said he believed Dunmire, 39, died when his motorcycle collided with a deer near Naples Sunday night. An accident report from the Scott County Sheriff’s Department was not available.

Dunmire’s obituary posted at Hendricker Funeral Home in Mount Sterling states that he died Sunday evening at 9:10 p.m. from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

“He had a tremendous impact on our community and I am heartbroken by his loss. He was a strong leader and willing to help anyone who needed it,” Northcut said.

“He was behind me 100 percent in everything we did. We’re a small department and we need everyone we can on the court, so it’s a big loss,” Northcut said.

A post on the Versailles Fire Department Facebook page remembered Dunmire: “This news is not only very sad for (me), but for the Versailles Fire Department and our entire community. We have lost our Assistant Chief, Jason Dunmire, to a terrible tragedy. Jason, you were a great friend and an even better Assistant Chief. Rest in peace VF2, we will take over from here.”

Dunmire has been a truck driver for Dot Transportation in Mount Sterling for the past 15 years and worked in the Dot Foods warehouse since high school.

He graduated from Brown County High School in 2003 and attended Western Illinois University in Macomb. He graduated from John Wood Community College with an associate degree in fire science.