A 34-year-old city firefighter, Thomas Kochera, died Friday from complications during heart surgery. Kochera, a paramedic who lived in Cheshire, would have hit his ten-year anniversary with the New Haven Fire Department in October, according to city Fire Chief Daniel Coughlin.

Kochera recently had an elective procedure done to fix a congenital heart defect. A few days after that surgery, Kochera was having some discomfort and had a follow-up procedure, which he didn’t survive. Coughlin said Kochera died in the early hours of Friday morning.

Remembering Firefighter Kochera

He was a very good paramedic and a hard worker, said Coughlin. Kochera worked for Bridgeport’s fire department on his days off and worked a lot of overtime for New Haven. He was very devoted to the medical aspect of the job and had a lot of ideas for how to optimize amid a nationwide shortage of paramedics.

In an email statement, Mayor Justin Elicker said, Firefighter Kochera served our residents and city for nearly ten years and his life was tragically cut far too short. As a paramedic, Firefighter Kochera went to work every day and saved lives, responding to 9-1-1 calls and providing emergency medical care to residents experiencing all types of emergencies.

The City of New Haven and the New Haven Fire Department mourn Firefighter Kochera’s passing, grieve alongside the Kochera family – especially his wife and two young children – and will be by their side during this difficult time.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.