Roxbury firehouse receives $12,000 PPE donation following arson attack
ROXBURY — Nearly $12,000 worth of personal protective equipment has been donated to the Roxbury Fire Department after its stockpile was destroyed last week during an intentionally set fire at the facility.
Ocean State Job Lot, a discount retailer that operates in the Northeast, delivered boxes of KN95 and medical masks, hand sanitizer, protective gowns, face shields and more to the fire department Thursday — five days after a disgruntled emergency medical technician allegedly set fire to Roxbury’s firehouse, as well as emergency services facilities in Meriden and Old Saybrook.
The 37-year-old suspect was taken into custody late Saturday in Pennsylvania.
Police said Richard White, of Torrington, got into a fight with a fellow Hunters Ambulance Services employee earlier that day after being placed on administrative leave during a disciplin
ary hearing.
“What happened at the Roxbury Fire Department was a despicable act against the entire community,” said Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation’s executive director, David Sarlitto.
Ocean State Job Lot’s PPE donation not only replaced all the equipment Roxbury Fire Department lost in the fire, but added new items to its supply, as well.
“Our first responders are doing most of the heavy lifting in our communities, so anything we can do to support them, we are eager and happy to do,” Sarlitto said.
Ocean State Job Lot started organizing the donation to Roxbury within 24 hours of the fire at the suggestion of Rich Stomski, a Torrington resident and team leader of Ocean State’s Seymour store.
According to a news release from the company, Stomski heard the news and “knew that the Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation had the resources to provide the needed supplies in a timely manner.”
“It’s truly horrible what happened in Roxbury, but I’m glad that we were able to provide relief so quickly,” said Stomski, who will be transferring to Ocean State Job Lot’s new store in Danbury once it opens.
The charitable foundation has provided about $25 million in financial and product donations during the pandemic, including $15 million in PPP to schools, hospitals and health care facilities, the organization said. The chain has 142 stores and close to 5,600 employees.
The CEO of Boeing gave up his salary for most of last year, but he still got stock benefits that push the value of his compensation to more than $21 million. That’s according to a filing Boeing made Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Boeing had a bad year in 2020. The company lost nearly $12 billion as its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, was grounded most of the year, and the pandemic hurt demand for new planes. Calhoun’s 2020 compensation includes the rights eventually to $7 million in stock for returning the Max to service after two crashes that killed 346 people.