New Haven, CT, Firefighter Dies from Injuries Sustained in 1992 Shaft Fall
Members of the New Haven fire department are mourning the loss of a firefighter who sustained career-ending injuries during a fire in 1992.
Thomas Kelly died Monday and the department is considering his passing a line of duty death because his injuries left him incapacitated, Patch.com reports.
Kelly responded to a building fire on Chapel Street in 1992 and fell down 30 feet down a shaft, suffering "catastrophic" injuries, according to WTNH.com.
He was 33 at the time he was injured. He joined the department in 1979 and was a tillerman on Truck 4 when he was injured.
New Haven Fire Chief Daniel T. Coughlin told Patch that Kelly was a hero, and it took nearly 25 firefighters to rescue him, using ladders and by breaching walls.
"Thirty-four years of strength and resilience. The same strength and resilience that is in each and every one of you," Coughlin wrote in a statement to his firefighters. "Firefighter Kelly is a testament to the strength and honor that is present in this department and in each and every New Haven Firefighter."
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Peter Matthews
Editor-in-Chief
Peter Matthews is the editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.