Veteran New Haven firefighter/paramedic Thomas “TJ” Kochera was credited with numerous lifesaving rescues and cardiac arrest saves

By Christine Dempsey
New Haven Register

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A 34-year-old New Haven firefighter died after experiencing complications during surgery Friday, the fire chief said.

Thomas “TJ” Kochera had been a firefighter almost a decade, Chief Daniel Coughlin said. In addition to being a firefighter/paramedic for the city, Kochera worked as a paramedic in the Bridgeport area on his days off, Coughlin said.

Kochera had helped with childbirths and saved lives, Coughlin said — and EMS professionals agree.

“Thomas was renowned as one of the region’s premier pre-hospital care providers and has been credited with numerous cardiac arrest saves,” said Yale New Haven Hospital for EMS. “He will be deeply missed.”

American Medical Response in Bridgeport, where Kochera had worked since 2012, said, “TJ was also known for his compassion, professionalism, and dedication to his colleagues and the patients he encountered throughout the Bridgeport and Fairfield areas.”

“Firefighter Kochera served our residents and city for nearly ten years and his life was tragically cut far too short,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said. “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 from house fires to cardiac arrest to childbirth.”

“More New Haveners are alive and well thanks to Firefighter Kochera,” Elicker said. “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.”

A fellow firefighter recalled on Facebook how Kochera worked with him four years ago to remove an unconscious fire victim by carrying the person down a hallway and stairwell of a burning building. The person survived.

Kochera worked in the Howard Avenue firehouse, Coughlin said.

As for his fellow firefighters stationed there, the chief said, “They’re taking it hard, but they’re getting through it.”

When Coughlin was assistant chief, Kochera was not afraid to approach him with ideas on ways to improve the fire service, Coughlin said.

At least one such idea was put in place. Kochera suggested holding back one of the two paramedics who used to routinely respond to some calls so one would be freed up for another emergency. Improvements in computer-aided dispatching allowed for the Fire Department to better assess ahead of time which calls needed two paramedics, who provide a higher level of care than emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, Coughlin said.

“He kind of wanted to share the wealth,” he said.

Coughlin described Kochera as funny, saying he had a deadpan delivery.

“He would say a lot of things with a straight face,” the chief said — and those things actually were funny.

Kochera had gone in for elective surgery for a heart defect he has had since birth that didn’t disqualify him for firefighting, said Coughlin, who described him as “a perfectly healthy young man.”

After the surgery, he was experiencing some pain, and he had to undergo a second surgery, Coughlin said. There was a complication during the second operation, he said, and he suffered a cardiac arrest.

He leaves behind a wife and two young girls, ages 2 and 8 months, Coughlin said.

The Firemen’s Benevolent Association of New Haven is collecting donations to help support his family.

Kochera’s death happened four days after that of retired firefighter Thomas Kelly. Kelly died 34 years after he fell through a roof while fighting a fire. The 33-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury after tumbling 30 feet through a shaft in 1992 and had been incapacitated ever since, Coughlin said.

Including Kelly, Coughlin said, “We’ve lost six in five years.”

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