Sirens for Service: Toddler’s death impacts Northeast Fire & Rescue firefighter’s early career

It’s no secret that the job of a first responder is anything but easy.

Taking calls can mean long hours, time away from family and PTSD. But every day hundreds of men and women in Cumberland County answer those calls.

Every week, The Sentinel’s Sirens for Service feature will aim to show the faces of these people and share their stories.

The series focuses on why they became a first responder and highlights a specific call from their service that influenced them and reminds them of why they do what they do.

Rob Richmond

Agency: Northeast Fire & Rescue Services

Title: Lieutenant, trustee

Time with company: 5 years with Northeast Fire & Rescue Services, 28 years in the fire service

Q: Why did you become a first responder?

A: I joined the fire service to become a first responder when I was 14. My sister’s boyfriend was a firefighter back then, and I just thought how great it would be to help and serve the community.

Q: Can you describe a call that has influenced you? What did that call look like and why did it impact you?

A: There was an auto accident in Marysville shortly after I started. It was a young girl, [a] toddler, ran across the road to follow her mom to get the mail and she got hit by a vehicle.

I lived right down over the street from there and responded up through the yards and rendered first aid as much as I could, but she passed away in my arms.

It impacted me greatly because she was a toddler, and I tried everything I could but nothing seemed to help. I’m here to help and do what I can to help save lives, and unfortunately she passed away.