BRISTOL, Conn. — A hero's sendoff for a fallen first responder. Firefighter Colin McFadden was laid to rest Thursday in the company of hundreds of family, friends, colleagues, and even total strangers.
There were about 600 seats available here inside St. Matthew Church in Bristol. Every single one was taken. McFadden has been called, loyal, dedicated, and funny and on this day it was apparent that he was also deeply loved.
"We know that it’s just really important to stick together," said Asst. Chief Justin McCarthy of the New Haven Fire Department.
They came from across New England to show their support.
Tracy Eldridge of the Rochester Massachusetts Fire Department said, "We’ve traveled from Massachusetts to honor one of their family members who is also one of our family members."
The visual was a sea of support as McFadden,26 was laid to eternal rest Thursday. The pipe band echoed as Colin’s casket was escorted atop a vintage engine. They processed to St. Matthew Church in Bristol. It was the final stop of a life well-traveled.
"Every firefighter carries the card in their pocket of the potential of being injured or sadly killed in the line of duty," said Mark Amatrudo, the Commander of the CT State Honor Guard.
No one knows that better than New Haven Fire Chief John Alston. It was just three months ago when firefighter Ricardo Torres was killed in the line of duty. His message to McFadden’s family:
"They are not by themselves. That we share their pain and share their grief as we work through our own, we are going to help them and that we won’t forget him just as we won’t forget Ricardo and they are a part of our family forever."
Colin died after suffering a medical episode while battling last week’s massive blaze at the historic New Hartford House. He was an autism awareness advocate, an Eagle Scout, a HAM radio operator, and a community volunteer. He worked with Bristol’s CERT team to direct traffic at COVID testing lines.
Richard Lehmert, the Captain of the Bristol CERT Team said "He will be severely missed by our group. If there was something going on, Colin was there."
Firefighter McFadden's end of watch was August 12 - he was a son, grandson, and brother. Firefighter Tracy Eldrige wrote a poem.
"Our lights are shining bright. To lead you to your resting place. It’s time to say goodnight. Your family is our family. Our watch will never end. It’s time to say goodbye until we meet again."
McFadden also owned two 3-D printers--printers that he ran 24/7 during the early days of the pandemic to make N95 masks for the staff at UConn Health. If you’d like to honor Colin’s memory, the family is asking you to go out and donate blood or to give a monetary donation to any one of the following
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