Brockton firefighter Jason Gould, 46, dies after battling health issues from heroic rescue

BROCKTON — Jason Gould, a veteran and fourth-generation Brockton firefighter, was just 46 years old when he died on Sept. 8 from injuries he sustained while rescuing a woman from an apartment fire about a decade earlier.

Retired firefighter Mark Picher said he and Gould were bringing a woman down from one of the upper floors of the Hamilton Oaks apartments during a fire when Gould's mask was knocked off.

“When his mask became dislodged from his face, he took in a pretty good amount of smoke. But he never let her go. He kept pushing through to get her out of there and got her to the outside,” Picher said. “If it wasn’t for him, I couldn’t have moved her by myself."

Gould's lungs were damaged during the rescue, but he continued to work for the department until he was forced to retire in 2023 due to his declining health.

After his retirement, Gould received two lung transplants. He unfortunately died of complications from a second procedure on Sept. 8, according to his obituary .

Brockton firefighters remember their former colleague

Gould, who lied in Middleboro, joined the Brockton Fire Department in 2012 as a fourth-generation Brockton firefighter. He was also a Navy veteran.

Picher worked with Gould as his former Captain for six or seven years, and remembers him as a dependable, hard-working firefighter.

“He was a great kid. He always took care of people. He was one of those kids that was always willing to give up his time to help people,” he said.

According to his obituary, Gould was also known for being an awesome chef at the station where he worked.

“He was an excelled cook. The thing about Jason, he was never afraid to try something new. He would just try a new dish, and they were all delicious,” Picher said. “He was a great morale person for the whole group.”

Picher also remembers that outside of his time at the station, Gould was a great dad, always talking about all three of his kids.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton firefighter Jason Gould, 46, dies after battling health issues from heroic rescue