Pease Fire Department Lieutenant Normand Dumais Jr. led a busy and active childhood. From an early age, he played baseball and football, exploring other sports during the off seasons through his high school years. He delivered newspapers on his bike before school, and later worked as a dishwasher and line cook, developing a passion for experimenting with dishes at a young age.
As a teenager, Dumais joined the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, where he trained in search and rescue techniques and remained involved until the age of 18. He valued spending time with his grandparents and learning from their experiences, while continuing to pursue hobbies such as cooking and sports.
Inspired by the stories of his grandfather who served during World War II, Dumais enlisted in the Army in 1997, fulfilling his lifelong dream. He loved serving in the military, especially enjoying the friendships which were rooted in a shared understanding of being part of something greater than oneself. Dumais served with the 82nd Airborne Division until 2003, when he was medically discharged after a spinal cord injury sustained in an earlier parachuting accident was re-injured during training. Completing his military career at the rank of Sergeant, Dumais is proud to have initiated a training program at his last unit to teach soldiers essential field skills.
Following six years of rehabilitation on his own, Dumais was finally able to get out of his wheelchair and walk/run again. Still committed to serving others, he worked tirelessly to transition to public service as a first responder. In 2013, Dumais began working as an EMT with AMR in Manchester, New Hampshire. Two years later, he became a Firefighter/EMT, serving with the New Boston Fire Department, Strafford Fire and Rescue, and later Pease Fire Department, where he held the rank of Lieutenant. His dedication earned him recognition as Firefighter of the Year, and he took pride in mentoring new firefighters entering the field.
While serving as a firefighter in 2019, Dumais sustained a traumatic brain injury with complications as a result of an explosion of equipment directly in his face and the ingestion of toxic chemicals. He continued to work and fight through everything until he was removed from duty in 2021. Dumais fully retired in 2022.
Now permanently in a wheelchair, Dumais continues to discover new interests and hobbies. Cooking remains a passion, though it is more of a challenge. He finds comfort in conversations with fellow veterans, appreciating the shared understanding and lack of judgment.
Support from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has been life-changing for Dumais and his wife, Amanda. The adaptations provided in their home have made Dumais’s daily life safer and easier to navigate, and having the home mortgage paid in full by T2T has lifted a tremendous burden. This support has allowed them to focus on each other and look toward the future with renewed hope.
Pease Fire Department Lieutenant Normand Dumais Jr. wants people to know: “Don’t ever give up fighting. An injury isn’t what defines you, but what you did before it and what you continue to do after.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided Pease Fire Department Lieutenant Normand Dumais Jr. with a mortgage-free smart home through the Smart Home Program.