In Memoriam: Lt. Shannon Haley (IAFF 3894)

Photos of Lt. Shannon Haley at a candlelight vigil for this week. Courtesy of Scarborough Fire Dept.

Our thoughts are with the family, friends and coworkers of Lt. Shannon Haley (IAFF 3894), who passed away last Friday, May 2, of an acute medical event at the age of 39. This week, about 300 attendees showed up for a candlelight vigil to honor Lt. Haley and her career of service to her community.

According to Scarborough Fire Chief Rich C. Kindelan, Lt. Haley began her career with the Scarborough Fire Department in 2005 as a live-in student with the SMCC Fire Science program. In 2020, she was promoted to her current rank of Lieutenant where she helped lead Shift #1 at the Oak Hill Public Safety Building (Engine Co. 7).  

"Shannon was a highly skilled paramedic and registered nurse. Her patient care style was so clinically sound, many of her colleagues looked to her for mentoring and advice," wrote Kindelan in a statement. "More importantly, Shannon was a wonderful human being. Her kindness and never-ending love for her family, friends, coworkers and every patient she cared for is unmatched. She routinely put her needs second to others."

A Heartbreaking Time for Maine Firefighters

Lt. Haley's death comes at a time when the fire service community in Maine was already dealing with the tragic death of Bangor firefighter Lt. William “Billy” VanPeursem, who recently died by suicide. At a recent celebration of his life, his colleagues remembered VanPeursem as a compassionate man  with a soft spot for kids. His former colleague Ronnie Green emphasized the importance for first responders to take care of their mental health.

“It’s OK to not be OK,” Green said. “But we take that a step further: It’s OK to not be OK, as long as we do something about it.... We’ve got to understand that we have to look out for each other. We have to take care of our mental health.”