In the long shadows outside Concord Hospital, members of the Concord Fire Department stood in two lines saluting Christopher “CJ” Girard, a seven-year veteran of the department who died suddenly after a brief illness on Saturday night.

With the gently faded arms of their fire coats wrapped around one another, they shared firm embraces and deep breaths, shook hands and wiped away tears.

“CJ was always CJ,” said Andrew Davis, who retired in July after 22 years with Concord Fire. “He always wanted to learn. There was nothing that he didn’t want to know about. He always had to do that extra step, always wanted to do that extra thing — he was always asking ‘how can we make this quicker, faster, better, safer next time?’ ”

As a senior member of the department, Davis was impressed with Girard’s dedication and attitude. Girard was widely respected among his peers and committed to community service, both in the line of duty and outside it.

“When I say he was up and coming, I’m serious,” Davis said. “He was the future of the department.”

Girard was 39 years old. Before working in Concord, he was a member of the Pease Air National Guard Base Fire Department.

First responders from across the region, family and friends gathered in procession with Girard from the hospital to the Bennett Funeral Home in downtown Concord on Monday afternoon, honoring his transfer under a halo of flashing red lights.

Girard was as committed to his wife and two young children as to his profession, those who gathered emphasized. The family settled in Bow in late 2019.

“We weren’t close, but I would often see him and Shannon out in their yard playing with the kids,” said Jonathan Threlfall, a neighbor and lead pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Concord. “That’s the way that I’ll remember him.”

The sudden loss weighed heavily on the department.

“Family was a big deal to him, community was a big deal to him,” Davis said. “We’ve just got to really rally behind them. Shannon lost a husband, but she has 100 other ones now.”

A weekend post on Concord Fire’s social media accounts announced the passing of one of the department’s best.

“He was constantly working on being the best firefighter he could be and held his peers to the same standard,” the post stated. “Our brothers and sisters are hurting today. While it was a long night, we are reminded of the resiliency of our union, our department, and the fire service family.”

A Concord firefighter has been with Girard since Saturday night. Working in shifts, someone will be with him until his funeral — a tradition when a member of the ranks is lost.

Beyond the walls of each firehouse, “we are a brother and sisterhood,” said Paul Sanborn, a retired Concord firefighter who also works as an instructor at the fire academy. He emphasized that the Girard family was in his thoughts. “It’s a big loss.”

Firefighters are trained to react to emergencies, Davis said. “But when it hits this close to home, at such a young age, it is devastating.”

An online fundraiser set up to donate meals to the family has received tremendous support.

 

Catherine McLaughlin can be reached at cmclaughlin@cmonitor.com. You can subscribe to her Concord newsletter The City Beat at concordmonitor.com.