Dear Lynn Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan:
Over the past several months, I’ve had to rely on your first responders more times than I’d wish, due to various medical issues. Each time, without fail, they’ve arrived swiftly and handled my situation with professionalism, skill, and — perhaps most importantly — genuine kindness. In some of my most vulnerable moments, when fear and pain made the world feel small and uncertain, your team offered not just medical support but human comfort.
They have been patient when I’ve been upset or slow to answer. They’ve been reassuring when my family and I were frightened. They’ve helped me maintain dignity when I felt I had very little left to hold onto. That kind of care stays with a person. It stays with a family.
You and your department should know the impact of the work you do. It’s not just about saving lives, although I have no doubt you’ve done that many times over. It’s also about the compassion you show while doing it — the calm words, the steady hands, the respectful tone, the reassuring presence.
Please share my heartfelt thanks with every EMT, firefighter, and paramedic under your command. Their service has made an enormous difference in my life and in the lives of those who love me.
With deepest gratitude,
Michael Leonard
Lynn Ward 1 Resident
Age 82
