HOPKINTON — Firefighters from around the state came to pay respects to former Hopkinton chief Richard Schaefer, who worked in the department for more than three decades.

“He was our brother,” said Rick Stanley of the Warner Fire Department, who was standing by at the Contoocook Fire Station on Friday, during Schaefer's wake. “He would have been here for us.”

Schaefer, 52, experienced chest pains Sunday night while on duty at the Contoocook Fire Station during the Hopkinton State Fair. En route by ambulance to Concord Hospital, Schaefer suffered cardiac arrest and died.

As hundreds of people lined up to pass through the high school auditorium on Friday, Selectman Jim O'Brien said the people who worked closely with Schaefer are still in shock.

“I drove by the fire station on the way to the fair on Saturday and Rick was there with all the guys,” said O'Brien. “I can't believe he's gone. I'm shocked, I'm saddened. It's just awful.”

Since the chief's death, firefighters from around the region have been coming together to help make the arrangements for the wakes and the funeral, and perhaps more importantly, to give the members of the Hopkinton Fire Department an opportunity to grieve their loss, said Chief Dick Wright of the Capital Area Mutual Aid System.

Wright said the members of the Granite State Fire Support Team, a group of firefighters from across the state who specialize in helping departments deal with tragedy, stepped in to help the Hopkinton Fire Department navigate all the arrangements.

“It's tough on these people,” Wright said of the Hopkinton firefighters. “They're grieving, they're trying to take care of the chief's family, and they have to make sure their town is protected at the same time. We needed to give them some help.”

The support team helped organize a private wake for members of the Hopkinton Fire Department and Schaefer's family on Thursday, and a public wake on Friday at Hopkinton High School. The team has also been instrumental in helping work out the logistics for Schaefer's funeral today, which thousands of people are expected to attend.

Fire departments including Warner, Henniker, Bow, Weare and many others, have been sending in firefighters and equipment to stand in for the Hopkinton firefighters who are still reeling from Schaefer's sudden death. And those departments will continue to cover until Sunday, Wright said.

“The average person doesn't understand how close these departments are,” said Stanley, a volunteer firefighter from Warner. “When something like this happens, we just come together.”

Stanley said that Schaefer, who grew up in Hopkinton and served on the department for more than three decades “loved what he did.”

“He loved being a firefighter, and people loved him too,” Stanley said. “He was a professional, but he was also a friend.”

Today's funeral will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Henniker. Before the funeral, there will be a full procession leaving from Bennett Funeral Home just after 9 a.m. to the church, with stops made at the Hopkinton and Contoocook fire stations.

Those attending the funeral are being asked to park at the soccer fields on Old Concord Road. Traffic will be strictly limited on Kast Hill Road during the funeral.

nfoster@newstote.com