Northern RI firefighters sympathize with Worcester’s loss after losing three of their own

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WLNE) – The news of Worcester Fire Lieutenant Jason Menard’s death hits close to home for some Northern Rhode Island fire departments, as they’ve lost three of their own in recent years.

In early 2018, the Pascoag Fire Department lost a 33-year veteran of the department, Richard Jenks, who died while battling a chimney fire.

A little over a year later, in March of 2019, the Harrisville Fire Department lost 39-year-old Ryan Ferris in a car accident.

In July, Chepatchet’s fire chief, Robert Dauphinais, got into a serious motorcycle crash. He later died after sustaining serious brain trauma. His wife, a passenger on the bike, survived with minor injuries

“We’re like a family. We work together, we live together, we sleep together, eat together, and it’s just like losing a spouse or a family member.”

Oakland-Mapleville’s Fire Chief, Joseph Bertholic, told ABC6 what the protocol is when tragedy hits a fire department. He said often they’ll cover for the department that’s in mourning.

He recalled what it was like to respond to Ferris’s car accident that happened just around the corner from the Oakland-Mapleville fire station.

“Everybody worked like it was somebody we didn’t know, we worked to free him from that entangled vehicle.”

Bertholic said his station and Pascoag covered Harrisville’s calls while they tended to the Ferris family.

“We covered their calls for the afternoon while they did what they had to do for their brother and his family,” said Bertholic.

He said it’s all part of the job, to mourn, but then get back to serving the community.

“The public depends on us to meet their emergency needs, whatever it may be, and it’s hard but we have to keep going.”

© WLNE-TV 2019