Paul Bass Photo
Chris Helland at work, 2018.
The crew at the city’s 911 emergency call center (aka “Public Service Answering Point, or “PSAP”) was saddened to learn of the death of Chris Helland, one of the hard-working dispatchers who help New Haven navigate crises.
Helland was pronounced dead Thursday at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was taken following a car crash.
“It is believed the 45 year old Fair Haven resident suffered a medical condition that resulted in a one-car motor vehicle accident just before 12:30 a.m. on Grand Avenue near Maltby Place,” police spokesman Capt. Anthony Duff wrote in a release.
The department’s Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash.
Helland began working as a dispatcher at the 911 call center in 2009. He served as a supervisor and trainer for the past year.
Click here for a story detailing Helland’s efforts the during K2 mass-poisoning episode on the Green in August 2018. (Scroll down halfway through the story for the section on Helland.)
“The PSAP Team, the New Haven Police Department, and the New Haven Fire Department would like to send our deepest condolences to his family and honor him with appreciation for his unwavering support and commitment to public safety,” Duff’s release stated.
My condolences to his loved ones.