By Peter Currier
The Sun
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — The union for Chelmsford firefighters provided a positive update on the recovery of firefighter Nick Spinale after he suffered serious injuries from a fall at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow last week.
Chelmsford Firefighters IAFF Local 1839 President Rob Albon said in a letter Monday that Spinale remains in the intensive care unit at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he was transported after falling several stories off the burn building at the academy on April 7.
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“Firefighter Spinale’s condition has been upgraded from ‘critical’ to ‘stable’. He has already undergone several surgical procedures, with further operations scheduled in the ensuing weeks. The road to recovery for Firefighter Spinale is expected to be arduous,” Albon said in the letter.
“On behalf of the Spinale family and Chelmsford Firefighters IAFF Local 1839, we express our deepest gratitude to the UMass Memorial Trauma team, surgeons, physicians, and in particular, the nurses who have been providing Firefighter Spinale with round-the-clock care.”
Albon called Spinale’s ongoing recovery “nothing less than miraculous, which serves as a profound testament to the exceptional care he has received while at UMass Memorial.”
“We would also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all our brother and sister firefighters across the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, International Association of Firefighters, and the residents of Chelmsford and Massachusetts at large for their unwavering support,” said Albon.
As of late Monday afternoon, an online fundraiser for Spinale had raised nearly $140,000.
Spinale’s injury took place during his duties at the fire academy, where he works part-time. The approximately 40-foot fall resulted in internal organ damage, as well as fractures in his face and wrists.
The firefighters union will hold a blood drive in Spinale’s honor at the state Department of Fire Services building at 1 State Road in Stow on May 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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