WINDHAM – Longtime Windham firefighter and EMT Rick Duncanson, who rose to the level of deputy chief of the EMS department, died unexpectedly Monday morning while getting ready for work.

Duncanson, 47, of 9 Viola Ave. in Raymond, leaves his wife, Lisa, two daughters, Skylar and Taylor, and a 6-week-old grandchild, Cooper, who was born on Halloween.

The Duncanson family is holding a private service at Dolby Funeral Chapel in South Windham on Friday, Dec. 14. A processional will lead from the chapel on River Road to the North Windham Union Church on Route 302 for a 1 p.m. memorial service that is open to the public.

Duncanson and his wife met as students at Windham High School. They graduated together in 1984 and married in 1988.

Duncanson, originally from Windham, rose to deputy chief of the EMS department and served as a lieutenant in the fire department. He served Windham as a call-firefighter and EMT since 1986 and was known for his dedication.

“His first love was the fire department and the rescue,” Lisa Duncanson said. “He loved what he did, hated the politics but liked working with his peers and liked working with the public and has seen many things throughout the years being involved so long,”

Duncanson, who was a painter by trade and owned Home Enhancements, had a couple of saves in his lifetime, Lisa Duncanson remembers.

A pharmacist at Windham Hannaford experienced a heart attack at the pharmacy, and Duncanson was part of the crew that saved his life.

“His wife went to a dance studio that our daughter went to, and every time I see her she would say, ‘Thank your husband for saving my husband.’ She was always grateful,” Lisa Duncanson said.

Duncanson also saved a girl from paralysis during a car accident several years ago by holding the girl steady and upright while other responders worked to remove her from the vehicle.

“They were commended by the doctors because one move the wrong way and she would have been paralyzed for life,” Lisa Duncanson said. “So, I’m very proud of my husband.”

Duncanson started in the department when it was an all-volunteer unit. Most calls he went on would be unpaid, unlike today when call firefighters receive an hourly wage and travel expenses. According to Chief Charlie Hammond, Duncanson didn’t do the job for the money but for the satisfaction he received by coming to the aid of the community, especially when it came to medical calls.

“Ricky ran avidly as a rescue member. That was where his passion lied,” Hammond said. “He participated in the fire department but he was really, really motivated for EMS work. That was his love.”

Hammond, the longtime chief who has served in Windham for four decades, also remembers Duncanson for speaking his mind during management meetings.

“Ricky didn’t always agree with some of the things that were thought and was not afraid to express [it]. But when the chips were down, it got done. And that’s how I remember Ricky in the officers’ meetings,” Hammond said. “With Ricky, it was doing the right thing for the right reason. There were many times when Ricky would say, ‘I wonder what it would be like if none of us got paid for anything we did. Who would still be here?’ And that was Ricky’s way of saying would people still do the right thing for the right reason even if there was no money involved.”

His wife said Duncanson thought of himself as a mentor to the new members of the department. She said that Duncanson started in the department and learned by doing and watching others, versus the new generation who must complete classroom courses before earning a spot in the department.

“I know he was all about wanting to mentor the young guys coming up, that it wasn’t all about what they learned in a book because there’s a lot to be said for on-the-job training,” she said.

Despite his years of experience and age compared to much of the crew, Duncanson could also hold his own when it came to the physical nature of the job.

“As recently as last weekend, we had the Christmas party for District II, the North Windham company, and he was realizing we were the oldest ones,” Lisa Duncanson said. “But he didn’t back down from a challenge because at that party he actually had a push-up contest with a couple of the guys and he showed the guys how to do it even though he was the old guy. He won, and I think that’s going to go down in history, because he didn’t want the young guys to think they could beat him.”

Longtime volunteer firefighter/EMT Rick Duncanson died unexpectedly Monday. The former deputy chief of the EMS department in Windham will be remembered during a public memorial service at North Windham Union Church at 1 p.m. on Friday.