East Hartford man dies in crash, vehicle fire in Hebron

PHOTOS: A man from East Hartford has died after a crash and vehicle fire in Hebron on Sunday morning. Firefighters and troopers responded to West Street around 9:47 a.m. after getting a report of a vehicle fire. State police said 20-year-old Anthony Michael Cardello, of East Hartford, was driving south on West Street when he went off of the road and hit a large tree. After the crash, troopers said Cardello's vehicle caught on fire. Cardello was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hebron Fire Marshal and Connecticut State Police are investigating. The investigation is active and ongoing.
WVIT-TV NBC 30 New Britain

Fallen North Haven firefighter to be honored at national memorial in Maryland

A North Haven firefighter who died following a 30-hour shift will be remembered at the national level next month. Anthony DeSimone, 50, collapsed last summer and later died at a hospital. An autopsy was not conducted to determine his cause of death. However, an announcement Friday from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation states that he died from a heart attack. DeSimone was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He will be one of 89 firefighters who died in 2023 who will be honored on May 4 and 5 at the 43rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The weekend will also honor 137 firefighters who died in previous years.
WTNH-TV ABC 8 New Haven

Family Of 4 Displaced By Fire In Stratford

Crews responded Saturday to simultaneous fires in Stratford, one of which displaced a family of four, according to officials. Authorities received multiple 911 calls around 1 p.m. about a fire on Freeman Avenue, officials said. Emergency personnel discovered flames coming from a backyard, as well as a house that was 70 percent ablaze, according to the Stratford Fire Department. Several exposed tanks had vented propane, spreading flames to fencing and starting small brush fires, authorities said, adding the blaze was brought under control in about 45 minutes. Around the same time, a porch fire was reported in the 700 block of Honeyspot Road, according to authorities, who said residents used a portable extinguisher to contain the flames with help from staff at the neighboring Stratford Guns & Ammo.
Stratford Patch

Vernon hosts national launch of VR training system to assist first responders

VIDEO: The town of Vernon is proudly billing itself as the first community in the country to adapt what is called the VRNA EMS System to assist first responders. The system, created by nearby East Hartford-based VRSim, uses virtual reality to better train firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and police officers for an array of medical incidents. Matthew Wallace, the president and CEO of VRSim, said, “The goal is to give them a repetition and training tool that will both attract and entice people to the industry.” Michael Purcaro, the Vernon town manager and emergency management director added that the town is hoping "our first responders will be able to sharpen their skills in a safe controlled virtual environment so that when they are needed in the real world, they will be better prepared to respond.”
WTIC-TV FOX 61 Hartford

Teenager serves her community working with both fire, police departments in New Milford

VIDEO: Meet Calley Thierfelder. This Connecticut teen spends her time traveling from school to the firehouse, then from the firehouse to the police department. She is making an impact in her community, while also encouraging other girls and women to make the leap into male-dominated fields. Whether she is on a fire truck or in a police car, she is there to help. “My dad wanted me to grow up in an area with like-minded people. People who do things for the community,” Calley said. She’s a member of the Northville Fire Department, working alongside her dad. She grew up going to calls in a car seat. Fourteen years later she joined the department. Now, a high school junior, she’s responded to nearly half of the calls taken by the fire department in the past year.
WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor