By Lisa Backus
Journal Inquirer
PLAINVILLE, Conn. — The family of fallen Plainville volunteer firefighter Raymond Moreau will be the first to receive an expanded state death benefit for first responders signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont in late June, according to a spokesperson for state Comptroller Sean Scanlon, who pressed for the legislation.
Moreau, 60, died Sunday after being struck by a piece of equipment that dislodged from a fire engine at the scene of a residential house fire on Maria Road, police have said. He was a 35-year veteran of the Plainville Fire Department, officials said.
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The expanded law, which went into effect July 1, provides a $100,000 immediate benefit to the survivors of Connecticut police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics who died in the line of duty, after the proper paperwork has been filed, said Madi Csejka, communications director for Scanlon’s office, which administers the fund. The money is exempt from state tax, Csejka said.
The previous version of the law, which passed in 2023, gave the families of fallen police officers the $100,000 benefit. Under that law, the families of Hartford police Officer Bobby Garten Jr. and Connecticut State Trooper Aaron Pelletier received the benefit, Csejka said.
The 34-year-old Garten died in September 2023 when his cruiser was hit by a teen fleeing from a traffic stop. Richard Barrington Jr, now 20, recently was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Garten’s death.
Police said Pelletier was struck and killed by a man who was high on drugs in May 2024 while Pelletier was conducting a traffic stop with a different motorist on Interstate 84. The driver who struck the trooper was sentenced to 18 years in prison in late April.
“The legislature put $1 million in the fund, $500,000 a year for two years,” Csejka said. “After paying this benefit (to Moreau’s family), we will have $700,000 left,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll never have to use it.”
The legislation that originally passed created the Fallen Officers Fund, according to a news release issued by Lamont’s office at the time. The fund has been renamed the Fallen Hero Fund after it was expanded to also apply to firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, Cseika said.
The law also allows family members of police, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics killed in the line of duty who were covered by that person’s health insurance at the time of their death to remain on that coverage for up to five years.
Moreau was honored Tuesday night with a memorial at Plainville High School at 7 p.m.
The Plainville Town Council decided to host a public memorial at the high school to give the community a chance to grieve together, said council Chair Christopher Wazorko. “We want to give the public a chance to come out and show their support. Not everyone can attend the wake or the funeral,” he said.
Moreau’s death is under investigation by several agencies including state police and the Connecticut Occupational Safety and Health agency, state officials said.
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