Firefighter Sander Schultz died Saturday at age 57, Mayor Greg Verga and fire Chief Eric Smith announced “with heavy hearts” in a joint statement Sunday.
The officials said the 26-year-veteran of the Gloucester Fire Department passed away unexpectedly.
“Our thoughts are with Firefighter Schultz’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time,” the mayor posted on Facebook.
Schultz was the EMS coordinator for many years before he went back on the line as the driver of Engine 2 in West Gloucester.
Flags on city buildings were ordered flown at half-staff to honor Schultz for decades of service to Gloucester.
In the coming days, the Fire Department will provide information on services as determined by the family. The department asked for the family’s privacy to be respected during this difficult time.
Schultz had been the EMS coordinator since 2005, according to an online document on topics for discussion on a dialogue between Schultz and former Gov. Charlie Baker’s Opioid Working Group on March 16, 2015.
Schultz was the 2013 recipient of the AHA/ASA Stroke Healthcare Provider of the Year award for his work with the federal Centers for Disease Control, which funded the Massachusetts Stroke EMS Collaborative, the document said.
He had also been a member of the Healthy Gloucester Collaborative’s MassCall2 Opiate Overdose Fatality Prevention Grant steering committee and served as the EMS Liaison for the Gloucester, Beverly and Danvers Massachusetts Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative Cluster Grant, the document said.