RUMFORD, Maine — When a 9-year-old boy was killed and three people injured in a Saturday crash on Route 2 in Rumford, first responders rushed into action before later having to process it themselves.
Rumford Fire Chief Chris Reed told NEWS CENTER Maine on Monday not only does every member of his crew that responded to the crash have children, but the firefighter who drove the boy by ambulance to try to save his life was celebrating his own daughter’s 8th birthday that day.
"That’s baggage you carry around with you forever," Reed said, adding that the firefighter was back at work Monday morning. "It was a very emotional call; stressful. They dealt with it very well; very professional. There was no delay in service, delay in care. It's a tough business to be in."
Deputy Chief Sam Cote responded to the call alongside her peers from the department, police, and EMS, and she credited a game warden and a nurse for being the first to get to the scene and begin lifesaving efforts.
"It was a tough day," Cote shook her head, leaning on a fire truck at the station.
However, she said, no one would have to deal with it alone. As they returned to work, multiple meetings were planned for the week, not only to go over what happened tactically, but to be there for each other.
"Fortunately, we have a lot of people reaching out," Cote said. "We have PD reaching out; we have our own people to talk amongst. We have a critical incident debriefing that we’re gonna be attending this evening. We have another one later on in the week just to, kind of, talk it out and air everything out and, hopefully, get information that we didn’t have that might help us deal with it a little bit better."
In their initial reporting of the crash, Rumford police officers wrote alcohol was believed to be a contributing factor. In a Monday Facebook post, Rumford Police Chief Tony Milligan asked the public not to speculate while the investigation continued, writing that speculation now would only add to the grief felt in the community.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the age of the boy who died due to incorrect information provided at the time.