ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A St. Lucie County firefighter-paramedic died while on duty Saturday, more than a year after his younger brother, who also served as a firefighter-paramedic, died at age 26.<\/p>\n
The St. Lucie County Fire District<\/a> announced the line-of-duty death of Austin Hodge on Saturday, Oct. 24, calling his death a \u201cprofound loss\u201d to the department and the fire service community.<\/p>\n Hodge joined the district on July 17, 2017, and served the community for more than nine years. He was assigned to Station 9.<\/p>\n Neighboring Indian River County Fire Rescue<\/a> also shared condolences following the firefighter\u2019s unexpected death Saturday morning.<\/p>\n The St. Lucie County Fire District asked the public to respect Hodge\u2019s family as they grieve. Information about memorial arrangements will be shared as details are finalized.<\/p>\n Read more: Missing 5-year-old girl found dead in Fort Pierce body of water<\/a><\/p>\n Brothers shared a career in firefighting<\/p>\n Austin Hodge\u2019s death comes more than a year after his younger brother, Jarius Hodge, also a St. Lucie County firefighter-paramedic, died on July 22, 2025.<\/p>\n The brothers shared a close bond and a passion for serving their community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was my best friend, my twin,\u201d Austin Hodge previously told CBS12 News. \u201cWe had the same tattoos. We had the same hairstyle.\u201d<\/p>\n He described Jarius as someone who loved his family and his work as a first responder.<\/p>\n \u201cHe loved going to work, loved working beside me. I loved working beside him,\u201d Austin said. \u201cHe always pushed me to keep going. He was someone who loved his family, his community and his country.\u201d<\/p>\n Family sought accountability after Jarius\u2019 death<\/p>\n