December 4, 1982!
Department Stunned by Sudden Loss of Esteemed Member
Our department was shocked and saddened on Saturday, December 4, 1982 when Firefighter-Paramedic Edward G. Charbonneau died sudddenly while on weekend exercises with the U.S. Army Reserve. He was 43.
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| Firefighter Charbonneau |
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Remembering Firefighter Edward G. Charbonneau,
Who Died in the Line of Duty, Serving His Country
Edward "Eddie" Charbonneau was appointed to the Hamden Fire Department on August 27, 1968. During his fourteen-year career, Eddie was a loyal and dedicated firefighter. He was among Hamden's first seventeen Emergency Medical Technicians in 1971. Five years later, Eddie was among Hamden's first paramedics.
In addition to his fire department career, Ed Charbonneau also served in the U.S. Army Reserve. On Saturday, December 4, 1982, while on maneuvers with the U.S. Army Reserve in Windsor Locks, Edward Charbonneau died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 43 years old.
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Remembering
Edward Charbonneau
1939-1982
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| Newspaper article courtesy of Gilbert Spencer |
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| Firefighter-Paramedic Edward Charbonneau (1939-82) |
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A very dedicated firefighter and paramedic, Eddie Charbonneau personified the word "professionalism." He was one of Hamden's first EMTs when the program was established in 1971, and was in the first Advanced Life Support class in 1976, becoming one of Hamden's first paramedics.
Charbonneau also was one of the first members of the department's Mountain Rescue Team. Ed can be seen in the photo below with Firefighter Tom Conway (right) carrying a Stokes stretcher down the quarry at Sleeping Giant State Park during a training session in the spring of 1982.
Check out the 1977 Hamden Chronicle article at right to read more about Ed and his contributions to Hamden's early EMS program.
Firefighter-Paramedic Edward Charbonneau was survived by his wife, Joan Longley Charbonneau, his daughter Amy Elizabeth, and his three sons, Edward G. Jr.*, Peter and David.
Note: Ed Jr. passed away suddenly in August 2018.
Originally posted 12/4/12
Revised 12/6/22
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| Ed (left) with Ff. Tom Conway training with the department's Mountain Rescue Team at the quarry at Sleeping Giant in the spring of 1982 |
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