-From WTNH and The New Haven Register
Video courtesy YouTube
Firefighters, family and friends are mourning the loss of one of East Haven’s bravest.
East Haven 1st Lieutenant Joseph Lambert died in an automobile crash along I-91 in New Haven early Sunday.
"Very sad, heavy-hearted. Joe was a great friend," said Neil Florio, president of Foxon Volunteer Fire Company No. 3. "I’ve known him for years. I’m really going to miss him."
An empty set of boots and bunker pants were at the ready at the firehouse on North High Street. They’re not Lamberts’, his are still in his car, but they are a reminder of a faithful firefighter who will not be there on the next call.
Connecticut state police are investigating the cause of the crash, which happened on I-91 North between Exits 6 and 8 around 4:00 a.m. Sunday. According to an accident report, Lambert apparently lost control of his vehicle, struck a guard rail, and was then struck by another vehicle.
New Haven firefighters found his shield in his wallet and called the East Haven chief.
Lambert, 30, had been a volunteer firefighter in East Haven for eleven years. He came from a family of firefighters. Friends and family said they always put others first.
"He’d get a call in the middle of the night — 2:00 o’clock in the morning, 3:00 o’clock in the morning — and he’d be out the door in his pajamas," his sister Aimee Lambert said.
"We’d get calls in the neighborhood often and he’d be right there, she said. "Neighbors had a baby that had stopped breathing for SIDS and he was right across the street and did CPR on the baby right away."
Black bunting and a lit candle were outside of the fire house. Lambert used to sit in Engine No. 5. Florio said it will be very difficult to fill that seat.
"I was sitting in the truck before and it’s not the same," he said. "It was tough to sit in there and not look over and see him."
Lambert was certified in cold water rescue, hazardous materials operations as well as rapid intervention. His goal was to one day become a career firefighter like his father.
"It was his life-long dream since he was a child," his sister Aimee said. "My father was a New Haven firefighter and we always looked up to him a lot and Joseph really wanted to be firefighter like my father and follow in his footsteps."
In a statement Mayor April Capone Almon said Lambert "served the people of East Haven selflessly and will be missed."
One of the special jobs Lambert was known for was leading the Explorers, a group of teens hoping to become firefighters. He was there in the rain, sleet, snow or hail to work with the kids, Florio said.
Career firefighter Jack Guido said he has a son with special needs who was in the Explorer program and Lambert gave him a lot of individual help and attention, taking him under his wing.
“He was just wonderful,” Guida said. “What he did for my son will never be forgotten.”
Details about memorial services were not immediately available
-Courtesy WTNH, and The New Haven Register
As always, our thoughts and prayers rain out over his family, his fire company, and his friends. You are never alone during this horrific time in your lives.
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