Watch the story by News Channel 8's Bob Wilson 38 year old Robert Griffin, known as Rob to his friends passed away from a heart attack during a fire drill. He was a member of the Prospect Fire Department and you can see that they have the fire station draped in black and the flags at half staff in his memory. The fire chief had to call together fellow firefighters and tell them they lost one of their own.
"He will be sorely missed by everyone. I had a briefing up here yesterday afternoon and told them exactly what had happened," says Chief Robert Chatfield, Prospect Fire Dept.
An empty car sits alone at fire headquarters where he left it before heading off to his drill. It's next to the flags and a granite stone that remembers those who died before him in the line of duty.
"What kind of a guy was he?" "Happy go lucky, eager to learn. Rob would come all day and ask questions."
Griffin was drilling at the state training facility in Wolcott Saturday afternoon. He had been on the department for a little more than a month as was completing a required test when he collapsed.
"He was in a maze, it was a box trailer, and there were simulated rooms, and he was moving in and out on his hands and knees crawling through the maze. They had to do that twice a day once in the afternoon and once in the morning, he was stricken when he was almost finished.
Robert Griffin leaves behind a wife and two children. An autopsy will be performed later this week.
Visitation is this evening from 5-8 p.m. at the Buckmiller Funeral Home, 26 Waterbury-Prospect Rd (Route 69), Prospect.Since there is limited parking, any fire departments attending are asked to park in various locations.
Parking is available at the Volunteer Fire Department of Prospect at 26 New Haven Rd and St. Anthony
