By Laurel J. Sweet
Boston Herald
BOSTON — A tireless city servant friends lauded as the unsung architect of the medical response to the Boston Marathon bombings that saved so many lives is being mourned by friends and co-workers just a month after he retired.
Boston EMS Capt. Robert “Sarge” Haley, a married father of three, died Friday surrounded by family and friends after what his obituary said was a long illness. Only 63, Haley retired just last month after 35 years on the job.
“Bob Haley was one of the most important people that Boston Marathon runners never heard of,” said Tom Grilk, CEO of the Boston Athletic Association. “As the quarterback for Boston Emergency Medical Services at the Boston Marathon finish area, he not only organized the services that were at the ready for runners who needed help, but also was on the street making sure that help was there, when and where it was needed, whatever that need might be. He kept everyone loose and confident, even in the most extreme circumstances. And in 2013, when terror came to Boston, Capt. Haley helped everyone to remain focused and strong, despite the horror that surrounded them. He proved that leaders are at their best when they engage everyone with whom they deal.”
Boston EMS Chief James Hooley told the Herald it was the highly decorated Haley who built the department’s special operations unit that responds to 500 major city events each year, including the marathon, Fourth of July on the Esplanade and yesterday’s Caribbean Festival and Parade.
As a nationally registered EMT who served as a logistics specialist for disasters the scale of Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, “Bob knew that EMS wasn’t just a ride to the hospital,” Hooley said. “It’s so much about what you do and plan and prepare for before the call comes in. He would think about what could happen and prepare for it. Things the public would take for granted, Bob would sweat the details, sweat the small stuff. Bill Belichick’s line, ‘No Days Off’ — for good or bad, he lived that.”
Haley, in 2005, received the Henry L. Shattuck Public Service Award, the city’s unsung hero honor for extraordinary service and professionalism.
“He led by example,” Hooley said. “He was a good coach, a good supervisor and a good mentor. He inspired a lot of people and he left quite a legacy for us to live up to.”
A funeral Mass for Haley will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at St. Bernadette Church in Randolph.
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