A Norwalk Hero: Longtime Firefighter Mourned By Department, Community

NORWALK, CT — Of all the memories Capt. Adam Sussman can share about Craig Saris, a fellow Norwalk firefighter who died this week at the age of 52, one thing is clear: Saris was a family man.

According to Sussman, who worked directly with Saris from 2018 to 2020 and remained good friends with him until the end, Saris was a loving husband to his wife, Amy, a proud and caring father of two 8-year-old twins and a friend to more than 100 members of the Norwalk Fire Department, where he spent over 25 years serving the community.

"If you were counted amongst his friends, you just had to pick up the phone and he was there, end of story." Sussman said in an interview with Patch. "There was never any hesitation. He was that kind of guy."

According to the International Association of Firefighters, Saris died Monday after a brave battle with cancer.

In a statement Wednesday, Mayor Harry Rilling said Saris was one of the most dedicated firefighters the city ever had.

"He loved his job and his fellow firefighters," Rilling said. "He worked in every Norwalk fire station during the course of his career and served for as long as his health allowed because of his fierce commitment to the safety and well-being of Norwalk residents."

He also noted Saris was well-respected throughout the Norwalk Fire Department, members of which considered him to be family and supported him until his final days.

"His passing is a tremendous loss for the city of Norwalk and the entire community," Rilling said. "We send our deep condolences to his wife, Amy, and their two children and will always remember firefighter Saris as the Norwalk hero he was."

A Father, A Sibling

Sussman and Saris worked together for about three years in the same company, Engine 5 out of South Norwalk, during which they were in a substation together.

"When you're in a substation, there's just four of you and you live together," Sussman said. "It's very close, very intimate."

Sussman said the relationship between fellow firefighters, especially in such an intimate setting, is like a sibling relationship, filled with just the right amounts of fun and dysfunction mixed with care and support.

"When something bad is happening in someone's life," Sussman said, "we share with each other and support each other...there's just an intimacy that I think can't be found anywhere else."

It was the type of relationship Saris was perfect for, as he was known to give selflessly more than he ever would take.

At the same time, he was fun to be around both in and out of the firehouse. He was easy to laugh and quick to throw a joke right back at his firefighter siblings. The type of guy you would want with you in the field or having a beer at the bar.

"That was part of the fun," Sussman said. "You never knew quite knew what was to come out of his mouth, and boy did we laugh sometimes."

That fun nature was also true of his relationship with his kids, as he was always willing to act silly or ridiculous for them without any ego about it, Sussman said.

"When [the twins] were born...they became the center of his world," Sussman said. "He glowed and all he wanted to do was share videos and pictures of the kids."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to fund an education account on the family's behalf. As of Thursday morning, the campaign has already raised over $3,500 toward a $25,000 goal.

Saris always wanted to start a family, in part due to having missed out on some of those relationships growing up, Sussman said. Saris lost his mother when he was a child and his father when was still a teenager.

"He figured out how to be in the world by himself," Sussman said. "He kind of built a successful life, and he often credited the fire department with...[becoming] that source of stability as he figured out how to put his life together without the guidance that most of us are blessed enough to have. He always credited the firehouse with bringing that to his world."

A Giving Man, A Norwalk Hero

Saris joined the Norwalk Fire Department in December 1997. Throughout his firefighting career, he was honored twice for life-saving actions, according to Rilling.

The first was for a December 2005 incident in which he and his fellow crew members dove into the Norwalk River to rescue victims trapped inside a vehicle.

The second was for a November 2011 incident in which Saris was part of a team that rescued an unconscious man from carbon monoxide poisoning in his home. According to Rilling, Saris helped locate the man in his basement and carried him to safety, saving his life in the process.

"He was a very good fireman," Sussman said. "He was fearless at an emergency scene and he was a guy on a scene that you knew you could rely on."

According to Sussman, Saris had been sick for a number of years but always had fellow firefighters and loved ones checking in on him as he continued to work.

"When he told us he had been given three weeks, which proved almost to be exactly what he had left, it's hard to describe," Sussman said.

During that time period, there would often be anywhere from four to a dozen firefighters at Saris' house spending time with him and offering support to his wife and kids.

"They will always be part of our family," Sussman said. "Now his kiddos have 120 aunts and uncles who will try to fill that hole as best we can in the years to come."

Even when Saris moved into a hospice facility, firemen remained with him around the clock.

"There were four guys there when he passed and they didn't leave until the funeral home came to take the body," Sussman said. "They weren't even comfortable leaving him alone then. They wanted to make sure that he was treated as he ought to be treated and that he was not left alone."

It is only appropriate that a man as giving as Saris and as devoted to his loved ones should spend the last days of his life surrounded by the two families he had built over the years, all eager to give of themselves and show him the support he tried to give out each day of his life.

"We were blessed to have him," Sussman said. "I wish we had him longer."

A wake for Saris will be held Monday, Feb. 13, at Collins Funeral Home in Norwalk at 10 a.m. (family only) and 11 a.m. (firefighter walk through). Upon conclusion of the walk through, the wake will be open to the public. Funeral services will be held later that day at 2 p.m. at St. Matthew Church in Norwalk.

Those who wish to donate to the family's GoFundMe page can do so here. GoFundMe is a Patch partner.