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HEATHER CASEY
Firehouse.Com News
A 66-year-old Connecticut fire captain with nearly 50 years of service
who returned to duty after suffering a near-fatal on-duty heart attack three years ago
died Sunday after suffering another heart attack while returning to
the station from a reported structure fire.
Capt. Whitney Teehan of Groton Fire Department's Eastern Point station
died of a heart attack early Sunday after 48 years of service, said Chief Nicholas DeLia.
Teehan died after responding to a call at 4:17 a.m. at the Electric Boat Shipyard where
he had worked for 40 years, DeLia said. The reported structure fire turned out to be an
equipment malfunction that caused the appearance of smoke, and the firefighters were in
the process of leaving when Teehan went unconscious at about 4:50 a.m.
"They were talking and then all of a sudden he just went to sleep," DeLia said.
Paramedics were unable to revive Teehan and he was pronounced dead at Lawrence & Memorial
Hospital in New London.
Teehan also suffered a heart attack in 1997 while fighting a car fire and was successfully
resuscitated by paramedics on the scene. After surgery and rehabilitation,
Teehan was cleared for full duty last year and was made an accountability officer, DeLia said.
Doctors and
family members had allowed him to return to duty as long as he did not become engaged in
firefighting operations, the New London Day reported, instead he kept track of
personnel operating at incident scenes.
Teehan leaves behind a wife and four grown daughters, and was very active in the
Elks club, DeLia said. He was recognized in 1959 for rescuing a child from a
burning building, the Day reported.
Calling hours will take place Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Byles Memorial Home,
at 310 Thames St. in Groton, DeLia said. The memorial service is scheduled for
Thursday at 10 a.m. at Byles, and will be followed by a procession to Col. Ledyard
Cemetery in Groton. Out of town firefighters are asked to park at Washington Park off
I-95 exit 87 to be bused in to the services, DeLia said.
Related
Second Heart Attack Claims Conn. Fire Captain