'There Are Calls Firefighters Carry With Them After Leaving A Scene. This Is One Of Those Calls:' Fire Chief

EAST HAVEN, CT — The sudden and horrific death of a 5-year-old child is an unthinkable tragedy.

Thursday afternoon, the child was struck by a car on Foxon Road, and despite life-saving measures, he did not survive.

The family’s grief and suffering can not be fathomed. Friends, fellow students, the school community, and residents feel the pain. And then there’s the emotional toll a call like this takes on the first responders who worked to save his life.

As Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said, “There is no weakness in acknowledging the impact that these calls can have on us.”

"Today, members of the East Haven Fire Department responded to an incredibly difficult and heartbreaking incident involving a young child who was struck by a vehicle in a pedestrian accident directly across from our Foxon Fire Station.

Our firefighter-paramedics immediately rushed to the child’s aid. They worked with urgency, skill, and extraordinary determination, doing everything within their power to save his life. Despite their Herculean efforts and the resuscitation attempts made at the scene, the child sustained fatal injuries.

There are calls that firefighters carry with them long after they leave the scene. This is one of those calls.

Our firefighters are trained to respond to emergencies, to remain focused in moments of chaos, and to do everything possible to preserve life. But behind the uniforms are human beings—fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and members of our community. When the patient is a child, and particularly when the outcome is tragic, the emotional toll can be profound. This is only compounded when responders have children of a similar age as was the case here.

I want our members to know how proud I am of the way they responded today. They demonstrated the courage, compassion, professionalism, and dedication that define the East Haven Fire Department. They gave that young boy every chance they could, and they did so under circumstances that were extraordinarily difficult.

Because of the nature of this incident, peer support was made available to our members. We recognize that taking care of our firefighters means taking care of them not only physically, but emotionally and personally as well. There is no weakness in acknowledging the impact that these calls can have on us. In this profession, we ask our members to run toward the worst moments of other people’s lives. Sometimes, those moments stay with us.

Most importantly, our hearts are with this young boy’s family and everyone who loves him. No words from us can lessen the unimaginable pain they are experiencing tonight. We offer our deepest condolences and ask that the family be given privacy, compassion, and support as they face this devastating loss.

To the members of the East Haven Fire Department who responded: you did everything you could. Your efforts were nothing short of heroic. I am proud to stand beside you, and I will continue to stand beside you as we deal with the emotional weight of this tragic call together."