Local News

Community rallies around Rutland firefighter after wife, newborn twins die

Ciara Sullivan, 30, worked as an emergency management specialist for FEMA and previously served as a 911 dispatcher in Shrewsbury.

Patrick, Ciara, Elizabeth, and James Sullivan. Rutland Regional Emergency Communication Center

December 29, 2024

1 minute to read

A community is rallying behind a firefighter in a small town outside Worcester after his wife and 11-day-old twins died Friday following a medical emergency.

The Rutland community held a candlelight vigil last Thursday for Patrick Sullivan’s wife, Ciara, and twins James and Elizabeth. The babies were delivered prematurely by an emergency cesarean section after Ciara, 30, experienced a severe medical emergency on Dec. 16, according to a fundraiser for the family and the department.

At the vigil, Patrick’s colleagues described the Sullivans as a loving couple, shared poems from first responders, and shared their experiences responding to the 911 call for Ciara’s emergency.

“It broke my heart to see my brother firefighter crying and yelling while his wife was laying on the front steps,” one first responder said at the vigil. “I can tell you, Pat, every single person on that call including the hospital gave it their all, physically, mentally, and emotionally.”

The Rutland Fire Department announced the death of the three Sullivans Saturday. Ciara worked as an emergency management specialist for FEMA and previously served as a 911 dispatcher in Shrewsbury.

“Ciara, thank you for your dedicated service to the Shrewsbury Police Department, and we are so sorry that this tragedy happened to you and your family,” the Shrewsbury police said on Facebook. “May you rest in peace with Elizabeth and James.”

A fundraiser for the family said that Ciara was intubated and the twins were on ventilators following the medical emergency. As of Sunday, nearly 2,000 people had raised more than $130,000, surpassing the fundraiser’s $5,000 goal.

Patrick announced the deaths on Friday night, thanking the community, his family, and hospital staff for their support. He also wrote a post memorializing Ciara, calling her “the single greatest, most loving, most compassionate person who has ever walked this horrible planet.”

“I can’t explain the total and utter devastation, anger, rage, and loss I feel that this unnecessary tragedy has brought me,” he wrote. “I plan on taking the coming months to heal, if that’s even possible.”