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Tony DeCaprio Helps Vietnam Vet Update HVAC Systems

As a member of the Friends of East Haven Facebook Page, Tony DeCaprio often sees posts with people asking for advice or recommendations. In January, a woman from South Carolina was using the page to find help for her brother, a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in East Haven.

The woman was looking for recommendations on how to get her brother’s furnace fixed. A friend forwarded the post to DeCaprio, who owns Indoor Comfort Heating and Cooling in East Haven.

“She’d been trying to get him assistance through Facebook. I talked to her on a Thursday afternoon—she said he didn’t have much but needed this fixed, so I said I’d check it out the next day,” said DeCaprio. “He’s there on oxygen and the [furnace] was ready to blow up with pieces of wood sticking out to hold it together.”

DeCaprio saw that the unit was beyond repair, so he approached a vendor with whom he often works, BENDER, an HVAC and plumbing supply store in New Haven.

“I called them, explained the situation, and asked if they’d be willing to donate it if I donated my services to get it in,” said DeCaprio. “They agreed and we were there Saturday morning and he had heat.”

While installing the new Goodman furnace, DeCaprio also noticed that the air conditioning unit was more than 30 years old. He said he would return in the spring to check on it. After recently visiting again, he saw that system also had to be replaced. This time he contacted MCN Distributors in North Haven, which was able to donate a new A.C. unit.

Working on these projects, DeCaprio has seen the need for more help for veterans in the area and he was inspired to create a non-profit, Indoor Comfort Cares, that will focus on veterans in town who need assistance. He is working with an attorney to make things official and is looking forward to helping more people.

“This really inspired me to start this,” said DeCaprio. “I’m getting ready to retire so think I’ll be ready to do more of this in my spare time. Hopefully once it’s up and running, more people will come on board and be able to donate.”