Lifesavers: Branford's Bravest Had 'Busiest Year Ever' In 2022

BRANFORD, CT —The year 2022 was the busiest ever for the Branford Fire Department, with 6,413 calls. The vast majority of those were for rescue and emergency medical service incidents.

Branford Fire Department Chief Thomas Mahoney noted that 2022's numbers exceeded 2021 by more than 100 calls.

"Our dispatchers and first responders work extremely hard providing professional and compassionate care to our community, and I couldn't be prouder of them," Mahoney said.

By way of example, on one day in October 2022, beginning early in the morning, Branford firefighters and paramedics responded to 16 incidents. A Leetes Island Road fire was made quick work of by firefighters. Later in the day, Branford's bravest battled a car fire on Interstate 95. Over the course of the day Friday Oct. 21, Branford's bravest firefighter-paramedics also responded to 12 medical emergencies and of those, 10 people were taken to area hospitals.

Speaking of I-95, when there's an emergency on the stretch of the highway that runs through Branford, local firefighters respond. As Mahoney told Patch in March 2022, highways are the most dangerous locations for first responders to do their heroic work. He said that an Emergency Responder Safety Institute study shows just how deadly it can be for first responders on the nation's busy highways, with I-95 a well-known very busy roadway. In 2019, 44 "emergency responders" were killed working incidents on highways.

In a 2022 case, firefighters were summoned to a late night vehicle fire on an icy March night on I-95 North between exits 54 and 55. A 2002 GMC Envoy with three people inside caught fire.

So, when Branford first responders, firefighters, medics, ambulances, and police vehicle lights and sirens are blaring, they may very well be on the way to save lives. So give them a wide, and safe berth, on the roadways, folks.