Telegram.com
GARDNER, Mass. — Four months later, Fire Chief Richard Ares is not sure what really happened the day he flew off a porch while fighting a fire in Templeton, landing on his back and fracturing his spine.
He only knows for sure that he is lucky. His back was repairable. The back of his head required 10 staples but it has healed. However, there are always the what ifs. He fell eight feet off the porch, landing in the driveway. He said it could have been worse.
“I’m convinced that had I been wearing an air tank I would have snapped my neck,” he said. Chief Ares will be back as head of the city’s Fire Department on Sunday, although he will not be in his office officially until Monday. He said his desk is covered with mail but after he gets that sorted, he has no concerns about going back to fighting fires.
Full story: After back-breaking injury, Gardner fire chief returning to job