PITTSFIELD, Mass. — When a teenager fell some 25 feet into an abandoned cistern at Springside Park, firefighter Mike Marran was the first one down the hole to reach him.

 

He kept Devon Goewey calm and talked sports as he took care of the boy's wounds and secured him into a halfback so other first-responders could pull him out through a tripod set up. It is what Marran is trained to do as a member of the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team.

 

"The kid was amazing," Marran said.

 

But, the job didn't end just then. The Pittsfield Fire Department's B Group got in touch with 16-year-old Devon shortly after to see how he was doing.

 

"We invited him up to headquarters and had lunch with him. We served him all of kinds of food," Marran said.

 

Devon left with a full stomach and some Pittsfield Fire Department swag. Marran wasn't there for it though. He had technical rescue training that day. It was disappointing but the two still wanted to get in touch and eventually connected over the phone.

 

"We've been in contact several times, just chatting back and forth," Marran said.

 

The two share a lot in common. They both share a love for sports, particularly football. Devon played on the Pittsfield High team and Marran on the McCann Technical School team when he was younger. Devon is a Giants fan while Marran is a Patriots fan, which makes for some humorous jabs back and forth. 

 

On Wednesday, Marron had the afternoon off and got to meet Devon face to face in an environment much different than down in a 25-foot hole or in a hospital room.

 

The two met for lunch at the Hot Dog Ranch and forged a new bond over wings and mozzarella sticks.

 

It isn't often first-responders reconnect with the people they helped but Marran is glad that in this case they did.

 

"This is the reason I became a firefighter," Marran said.