On November 2, 2012, Captain Herbert Johnson of the Chicago Fire Department died in the line of duty while fighting a residential fire in Chicago.

At 5:15PM, Johnson was dispatched to a residential apartment fire in the 2300 block of West 50th Place with Engine 123 of the Chicago Fire Department. Johnson was conducting fire suppression activities on the second floor of the building when he called for his fellow firefighters to get out of the building. Shortly after this communication, he collapsed. He was carried out of the building where he responded to basic life support measures. He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

Funeral services for Johnson were held at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago and he was interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Hundreds of firefighters from across the United States and Canada attended the services. He was survived by his widow, three children, and seven siblings.

Johnson was a 33-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department and was among group of Chicago firefighters who traveled to New York to assist in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.