Simsbury Fire Official Killed in Crash

SIMSBURY, CT — The deputy chief of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company was killed in a single-car crash in Bloomfield early Sunday morning, according to Bloomfield police.

Michael Jepeal, 63, was driving a Nissan Maxima around 5 a.m. Sunday when his car crashed into a rock formation in the median between Route 187 south and Route 189 north. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Capt. Stephen Hajdasz said.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, Hajdasz said.

The fire company reported Jepeal's passing on its Facebook page, which has received more than 140 comments in less than 24 hours. Among them are:

• "Rest In Peace Chief... Thank you for all you've taught me personally and others either at the fire academy or elsewhere... You were an inspiration to us all and you will be deeply missed... I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family his brothers and sisters at the academy and the Simsbury FD... God bless you Chief and rest easy we will take it from here..." - Steve Pasek
• "I can remember Mike as my FF1 instructor back in 1996. Fond memories and great stories. Thank you Chief for your shared knowledge of which I still use on a daily basis. Heartfelt condolences from all of us in the Burgess family." - Tracy Burgess
• "This is a sad day for Tariffville. He was a great guy and a great neighbor. I remember once when my husband was out of town and we had a huge blizzard. I was out shoveling the driveway and Mike drove by, backed up, and plowed me out. He would not accept any payment. That's the kind of sweet soul he was. He will be missed." - Jean Redekas
• "Had the honor of learning from him and the pleasure of teaching with him. Rest easy brother." - Scott Crittenden

Photo courtesy of Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company