First Responders Support Roofing Company in Gifting New Roof

By Dani Sheehan. 

How one firefighter’s legacy brought the community together to provide a new roof for his surviving wife and family. 

In Newtown, Connecticut, one community upholds that giving back is a way of life. This is part of the culture that led Brown Roofing in Seymour to establish Roofing for Humanity, a program that gives away a roof replacement to one selected home each year. This year’s program came down to four finalists, and Amy Brady received the gift in large part due to the good deeds of her late husband, Richard. Having passed away last July, Richard was a former Botsford Fire Rescue chief who was beloved in the community. 

Richard had not only been a volunteer with Botsford Fire Rescue for several years before serving as chief, but he had also helped found the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue Team (NUSAR) and was a deacon at Stepney Baptist Church of Monroe. When Brown’s Roofing showed up on June 15 for the roof repair, so did several members of Botsford Fire Rescue to support Amy and provide any assistance needed.  

Botsford First Assistant Chief Pete Blomberg was one of the members to lend a hand, telling The Newtown Bee in an interview that Richard’s children had been “in the firehouse all the time,” and Richard was “not only the chief but a friend.” He wanted to make sure he was there for Amy. She lost Richard when he was only 63 years old, after battling serious health issues. Having been the main provider for the family, economic uncertainty had made it hard for Amy to prioritize a new roof.  

When her story reached Eddie Griffin, owner of Brown Roofing, he explained that he and the team “wanted to give back to the Brady's because they gave so much.” 

Richard lives on through each of the firefighters who worked with him, but he also spent hours hand crafting a pair of firehose nozzles during his time at the station that are still used today. Firefighter Bill McAllister explained he had made them during coffee and lunch breaks over the course of a year. Not only do these nozzles feature a “longer neck for a much better stream,” said McAllister, but “each time we pick up a hose, it brings back memories of Rich.” 

Photo source: The Newtown Bee