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Tecumseh firefighters mourn loss of one of their own

Tecumseh firefighters will soon be wearing helmets with stickers on them bearing the number 14. That was the number of one of their fellow firefighters, Michael Abaldo.

The stickers will be there to honour Abaldo who died in a motorcycle accident last Friday.

"It's been pretty devastating, you know, such a young guy taken at such a young age," said Tecumseh Fire Chief Wade Bondy.

"It's heartbreaking, to say the least."

Tecumseh Fire and Rescue
Tecumseh Fire and Rescue

Abaldo collided with a car at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens on Highway 3 around 6:30 Friday evening.

Seven of the firefighters he worked with at the nearby Station 2 responded to the crash. Abaldo had already been put in the ambulance when they arrived but they were devastated to find out later from police that it was their colleague that had been killed.

Tecumseh Fire and Rescue
Tecumseh Fire and Rescue

"Shock that that had happened. You just don't expect someone that young to pass away," said Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Kavanagh, who was one of the firefighters who responded to the call.

"You kind of think of the last time you talked to him and that kind of sticks in your head. And that's tough. It's a good thing we have a good family here that we can kind of lean on and support," said Kavanagh.

He said 25 of the firefighters most close to Abaldo gathered at the station Friday to support one another with the Peer Support Team of firefighters and EMS crews from the county.

Thirty-five retirees joined together with other firefighters Saturday for another session, 'to kind of just talk it over. Talk about Mike. It kinda helps," said Kavanagh.

"Quite a lot of a lot of our firefighters are quite close to Mike," said Kavanagh. "He was a big part of our team here. A lot of guys respected him and worked well with him. And he's going to be a big loss for our department."

Kavanagh recalls that Abaldo was quiet and reserved but outgoing and friendly once "he got to know you". Both Bondy and Kavanagh say Abaldo was a classic car and motorcycle enthusiast who had three classic cars. He joined the fire service in July of 2015 and was also an engineer with the City of Windsor engineering department, most recently as a contracts supervisor.

Bondy says Abaldo also worked to raise money for Goodfellows drives and Kavanagh said he helped train rookies with the department.

"Mike's going to be missed. He was taken from us far too soon," said Bondy.

A group of firefighters will form an honour guard at Abaldo's visitation and funeral at Windsor Chapel Funeral home in Windsor Tuesday.