The Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings tested and validated the professional commitment of mutual aid to the community’s first responders, according to Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief William Halstead.
In an interview published December 17 at www.firechief.com, Halstead expressed his gratitude for offers of support from around the country following the shootings that killed 20 Sandy Hook Elementary students and six adults at the school on December 14.
Halstead said that of the five members on the rescue squad that responded to the initial 9-1-1 call, one firefighter had a child in the school. Another firefighter, responding on another vehicle, also had a child in the school that was later found safe. He reported his wife also had been visiting the school, but was able to hide behind a dumpster during the shooting.
In addition to operational support from neighboring communities, psychological counseling was made available to emergency workers on the scene.
Read the story at www.firechief.com
