At 10 am on Friday, December 12th the Mashantucket Pequot Fire Department held a badge pinning and service recognition ceremony. Newly promoted Chief Anthony Saccone greeted the crowd and introduced the new deputy chief and firefighters. Deputy Chief Keith Knudsen recently retired from the Submarine Base Fire Department in Newport, Rhode Island and had his new badge pinned by his wife.

Firefighter Zachary Abbotts had his badge pinned by Captain Patrick Chute. FF Benjamin Barry was pinned by his father. FF Christopher Caisse was pinned by Captain Charles Steinhart. FF Brandon Crook was pinned by his mother Julie. FF Vincenzo DeJesus had his badge pinned by his wife, son and daughter. FF Sean Flaherty was honored to be pinned by his mother Elizabeth. FF Jacob Jodoin was pinned by his girlfriend Sophia. FF/Specialist Tyler Banker was pinned by his wife Sarah.

After all of the new firefighters were pinned, the chiefs recognized several members for their courageous actions at some recent incidents. On 10/3/25, Mashantucket’s Engine 1 responded to a house fire in the Town of North Stonington. Firefighters Tyler Beebe, Jacob Jodoin and Pete Gaustini located and removed a canine from the residence. They provided medical care and the dog survived.

On 10/4/25, Captain Steinhart with Firefighters Robert Savarese and Sean Flaherty responded with Mashantucket EMS & Police, as well as American Ambulance, for an unresponsive female in Grand Pequot Tower. Crews found a woman in cardiac arrest and initiated life-saving measures. While transporting, the patient had a return of spontaneous circulation.

On 11/15/25, Mashantucket’s Group 1 responded to Lantern Hill in North Stonington for a male who had fallen off a cliff about 100 feet down. Captain Stino with Firefighters James LePage, Tyler Beebe, Sean Flaherty, Aaron Gelber and Jacob Jodoin worked alongside firefighters from around the region to successfully perform this technical rescue. The victim was brought back up the cliff using a mechanical advantage haul system with the Arizona Vortex Tripod.

Members from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council gave heartfelt speeches about what their fire department means to them and how much they appreciate their heroic actions. Councilman Daniel Menihan spoke about sister tribes and compared them to mutual aid in the fire service with how important those relationships are. He also mentioned how grateful he was for all of the first responders, who fought the 5 alarm fire inside of the casino on 11/18/25.