David R. Spahn

LONDONDERRY - Fire Capt. David Spahn finished his fire safety and prevention talk early, so he spent the last 10 minutes telling Brownie Troop 2452 about the Heimlich maneuver.

"You know kids - they laughed and giggled and tickled each other," he said of the gathering in March."I remember saying to myself, 'If anyone remembers this, I'll be surprised.' "

But last month, Spahn got a letter from the mother of a shy 7-year-old girl who proved him wrong.

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After getting the letter, Spahn and Fire Chief Alan Sypek this week presented Paige with Londonderry's first community life saver award at a Town Council meeting.

Captain David SpahnCoalition for Kids in Danger
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Captain David Spahn
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Capt. David Spahn, Londonderry Fire Dept. 29 yrs.Public Ed.Officer for 18 Yrs.Facilitate JFS program for the last 15 yrs.Have been a substitute teacher Londonderry Middle School for the last 12 Yrs.Guest Speaker for Project safeguard for Middle School Children 6 yrs. (for 5 separate schools).Was the vice -Chairman of the NH JFS Coalition.

Capt. David R. Spahn has been with the Londonderry Fire Department full time for 30 years.

LONDONDERRY | Londonderry Fire Capt. David R. Spahn marks his 30th year on the job as a full-time firefighter this April.With a heart full of memories, he recently submitted his retirement request, which will take effect on May 19.

"I couldn't believe it even as I was writing it," Spahn said of the letter."I'll definitely miss all the relationships I have with everyone here."

Spahn grew up in North Londonderry and recalled hopping in a pickup truck with his friends when he was a young teen to help put out brush fires.He attended the town's Central Elementary School, now Matthew Thornton, and went to Memorial High School in Manchester.

"There were only the North and South Fire Stations when I was a kid," he said.The Central Fire Station on Mammoth Road is where Spahn has his office.

After high school, Spahn joined the U.S. Navy and after discharge three-and-a-half years later, he worked for Goodyear.He was a call firefighter for eight years until he was hired full time by the department.

Spahn recalled his first day on the job, April 19, 1976."It was hot, about 75 degrees," he said."Around 4 p.m., we were taking a break from training and we received a mutual aid call to Lowell ( Mass.) A large store, like a Bradlee's, was on fire, and it had spread to all the stores in the mall.You could see the smoke from Windham."

Spahn and his wife, Diane, have two grown sons."Over the years, I missed a lot of holidays and birthdays," he said."It's time for me to step down and let someone younger with fresh ideas take over."He has been in his position as captain for 16 years.

In 1984 Spahn began the first Juvenile Fire Starter Program in southern New Hampshire."I handled a lot of cases that came out of the Derry District Court," he said.The program is for children and youths who have a history of starting fires.

Spahn has also been a substitute teacher at Londonderry Middle School for 14 years and said he will continue to substitute after retirement."I really enjoy that age group," he said.

Spahn said his most memorable day on the job was when he delivered a baby."You see the videos and learn how to do this, but when it happens, it's just unbelievable," he said.

His worst day was when he had to pull four charred bodies from a car accident."A car carrying a family crashed on the highway at 10 a.m. and caught on fire," he said."By the time everyone was through doing the accident scene investigation, it was 4 in the afternoon.It was a hot August day in 1996."

Spahn said he's responded to every type of medical problem in town."Most time, people will know me when I arrive," he said.

L-R: Capt. Ronald Anstey, Capt. David Spahn, Cheif Michael Carrier, Capt. James Roger

Glenn April on the police team pitched a melon painted white to Fire Capt. Dave Spahn in one inning.

LONDONDERRY - For Fire Capt. David Spahn, it had been an afterthought.

With 10 minutes left in his fire safety and prevention talk before Brownie Troop 2452 in March, he'd run out of things to say.

"I do about 25 of these talks a year, and I could have just folded up shop," he recalled."But half-jokingly, I said, ‘Who wants to learn the Heimlich maneuver?' The girls all raised their hands, and I had them divide up into partners.

"You know kids, they laughed and giggled and tickled each other," he said."I remember saying to myself, ‘If anyone remembers this, I'll be surprised.'"

That was before last month, when Spahn got a letter from the mother of a shy 7-year-old girl.Someone had been paying attention in class that day.

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After getting the letter from Collins' mom, Spahn and Fire Chief Alan Sypek this week presented her with Londonderry's first-ever "community life saver" award at a town council meeting.
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For Spahn, Paige's plaque was an affirmation that the safety speeches he's delivered for the last 20-plus years occasionally do find their way into real-life situations.

And that some kids are paying attention.

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Traffic stopped and she didn't," said Londonderry Fire Capt. David Spahn.

Weather isn't expected to be better today.

Snow is predicted for most of the state as a rain-snow mix is forecast to turn over to snow by late morning.Two to 4 inches could accumulate in Manchester, according to the National Weather Service.

It wasn't the first snow of the season, but it was the first during a workday.

Fire Capt. David Spahn said Conor grabbed onto a tree until rescue workers could arrive, but only after he drifted under a metal culvert and back out the other side.

Though officials said he was only in the water for about 15 minutes, Conor said yesterday it "felt like forever."

He also said he thought to himself, "I'm probably going to die."
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"He kept his wits about him," Spahn said.