Caeden Laffan, 25, drowned in late June off the shore of San Diego
ALAMEDA — The Oakland firefighter who drowned last month in Southern California was remembered Wednesday as an “unstoppable” force and budding star in the mold of his father, a fireman who died just more than a year after the two started working together.
The fact that so many people had to gather again so soon was almost unbearable for those left grieving Wednesday inside the packed naval ship. Laffan and his brothers spent their childhoods running around fire stations during visits with their father, a well-regarded veteran of the department. Somehow, his friends and fellow firefighters said, Caeden Laffan and his brothers always seemed destined to follow in their father’s footsteps.
Caeden Laffan left Stockton for Oakland in the summer of 2019, just after passing the academy. The reason, Wilson said, was clear.The younger Laffan’s death prompted Chief Covington to order the entire department to halt their trainings for a week and instead focus on each firefighter’s mental health, the chief said Wednesday during the service.
The show of support was “unbelievable,” said Justin Sylvia, a Sacramento fire captain who knew Caeden’s father since 2008 and whose stepchildren played baseball with the Laffan boys. Another of Caeden’s brothers also got his start in firefighting working for Sacramento’s fire department.
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