The Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department lost a beloved firefighter over the weekend. Michael Dumond, 35, died in the hospital Saturday night after battling cancer for nearly a year. He was a 17-year member of the fire department.
“Everybody here is devastated, without a doubt,” said Chief Jay Schall. “We are going to do what it takes to honor his legacy.”
Dumond leaves behind his mother, father, two siblings and a niece. His family said the only thing he loved more than being a firefighter was being an uncle.
Also known by the nickname, “the Dumonator," Dumond’s father described him as the “epitome of a volunteer.”
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“Michael did it all with no ulterior motives. That was the beauty of him. The purity of him,” said Ronald Dumond, Michael’s father. “Nobody was ever more proud of being a fireman than my son Michael.”
Dumond became a firefighter 17 years ago. He had a learning disability, but his family said that instead of turning him away, the fire department welcomed him and trained him. They said the fire service quickly became one of his favorite things to be a part of.
“First thing he said whenever he met anyone, ‘I’m a firefighter in Lebanon,’” said Chelsey Dumond, Michael’s younger sister.
Local
In addition to being a volunteer firefighter, Dumond worked at a local grocery store and was very well known there. He also spent the last decade volunteering at Stirrup Fun Stables Rescue in Lebanon.
“It is a big loss,” said Jeanna Prink, director of Stirrup Fun Stables Rescue. “He was irreplaceable - just from personality to hard work.”
Dumond was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October of 2022. He was diagnosed late and, while he did undergo treatment, the cancer spread.
“I think that was a big part of it - that delay in diagnosis,” said Dumond’s father, who encouraged young men to get checked by their doctors.
Dumond’s family found him unconscious Saturday morning. His fellow firefighters rushed in to get him help. They saluted as a helicopter flew Dumond to Hartford, where he died later that night. His family said he is leaving behind a massive hole.
“For everyone. Not just us. And that is what has been so striking about all of this - we knew how special Mike was, but to see that everyone else knew how special Mike was,” Dumond’s sister Chelsey said.
The Sunday after he died, Dumond’s siblings made a sign and hung it outside their home that said, “honk for the Dumonator.” Not even a full day after his death, every truck from the LVFD drove by the sign honking and with sirens blasting.
They got out of the vehicles to hug Dumond’s family members, making it clear just how much the community loved him.
“For them to do that for my boy, it really meant something,” said Dumond’s father. “I would trade all of this for a second with him, but to look back on his life...I am pretty proud.”
There will be a wake held for Dumond on Friday, August 11 from 4 until 8 p.m. at Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home in Colchester. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. the following day, Saturday, August 12, at Saint Francis of Assisi Church on West Town Street in Lebanon.
Following his burial, Dumond’s family will host a celebration of life for him on the Lebanon town green. All are welcome to attend.
