Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue Chief William Halstead Dies

NEWTOWN, CT — Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief William Halstead died Friday evening.

Halstead had only just returned home from a call when he became ill, according to a post by the fire company on its Facebook page.

"Despite the efforts of SHVFR personnel, Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Newtown Police Department officers, the #Newtown paramedic, and the Newtown Emergency Communications Center team, Chief Halstead passed shortly after the incident," officials wrote.

Halstead had a distinguished career that began early. He has been chief of SHVFR since 1978, joining the company in January 1965, at the age of 16. The chief was named the Connecticut Firefighter of the Year in 2019, and has also served as Newtown's director of emergency management and fire marshal. In 2011, the town’s emergency operations center was named the William T. Halstead Sr. building in his honor. Two years ago, Halstead was elected president of the Connecticut State Firefighters Association.

"We are grateful for his years of service to his hometown," Halstead's colleagues posted on social media. "Please grant us the space and time to grieve."