| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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The Gov Visits 3s!
Last Tuesday afternoon Governor Dannel Malloy was greeted by Hamden firefighters when he
stopped by Station 3 with IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger and other labor officials.
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(L-R) Ff. Scott Blake, Lt. Hugh O'Callahan, Dep. Marshal Brian Dolan, Ff. Pete Lynch, Ff. Tim Doyle,
Gov. Dannel Malloy, Ff. Jay McCarthy, Ff. Dan Such, Ff. Brian Gagnon, Ff. Rich Lennon and Ff. Larry Bowden.
Posted 10/24/14
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Gov. Malloy and IAFF General President Schaitberger
Address Local 2687 Members
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| Seated (L-R): IAFF 3rd District VP Michael Mullane, Local 2687 Pres. Kurt Vogt, UPFFA Pres. Pete Carozza, IAFF General Pres. Harold Schaitberger, CT AFL-CIO Pres. Lori Pelletier and State Senator Martin Looney |
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Last Tuesday, Local 2687 President Kurt Vogt and a few dozen other Hamden firefighters welcomed IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger and another guy with fire service in his family, Governor Dannel Malloy. Other notables included Connecticut UPFFA President Peter S. Carozza, IAFF 3rd District Vice President Michael Mullane (Boston FD, Ret.), State Senator Martin Looney and Connecticut AFL-CIO President Lori Pelletier.
Governor Malloy addressed the large gathering of on and off-duty Hamden Fire Department personnel, which included Chief Berardesca and Dep. Chief Merwede. The Governor began his remarks by noting that he comes from a family with a lot of firefighters. His nephew, Brian Malloy, is currently serving on the Stamford Fire Department. Four of his Kelly cousins are also firefighters. And Malloy related how an uncle, "a long term firefighter" in Stamford, "refused to retire until the day after he got badge number 1" as the most senior firefighter on the Stamford Fire Department.
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| IAFF Gen'l Pres. Schaitberger addressing members |
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The visit by IAFF officials was to enlist the support of Hamden firefighters for Malloy in the upcoming gubernatorial election. The Governor cited his personal commitment to the collective bargaining and arbitration rights of municipal employees, as well as his administration's recent successful efforts to address the state's underfunded pension. If the state pension crisis had not been addressed, he asserted pointing to the firefighters sitting before him, "then YOU were on the menu," suggesting that his opponents would have corrected the deficit on the backs of current employees.
Following the Governor's remarks, President Schaitberger shared the story of a personal journey that brought him to the fire service and his subsequent involvement with the IAFF at both the local and national levels. He praised Local 2687 President Kurt Vogt and other leaders of the local, stating that leadership on the local level is the hardest job in the IAFF.
President Schaitberger expressed concerns regarding the future of employees' rights in the current political climate, when many state and municipal leaders throughout the country today are targeting collective bargaining and arbitration rights, as well as looking for givebacks from public safety employees and retirees.
Connecticut's UPFFA President Peter Carozza and I.A.F.F. 3rd District Vice President Michael Mullane echoed Pres. Schaitsberger's concerns with their own stories. Following the talk, which lasted over ninety minutes, the guests fielded several questions from the local members present.
This was IAFF President Harold Schaitberger's first visit to Hamden, a planned visit two years ago having been called off due to Hurricane Sandy.
Posted 10/24/14
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The "Repair Shop"
From 1951 until the late 1990s, the fire department maintenance facility was located at the back of Station 2 on Circular Avenue. Until his 1968 retirement, Clem Wetmore was Superintendent of Alarms and Apparatus, assisted at different times by Ken Harrington and Richard Lostritto.
Ken Harrington, who joined the department in 1949, served as Clem's part time assistant in "the Shop" from 1954 until 1961, when he returned to line duties full time. Richard "Richie" Lostritto followed Harrington as a part timer in the Shop, in addition to his regular line duties.
On June 7, 1965, Lostritto was appointed to the new full time position of Assistant Supt. of Alarms and Apparatus. He became Superintendent upon Clem Wetmore's retirement, at which time Clem's son Paul was appointed to replace Lostritto as Assistant Superintendent. Lostritto served twenty years as Superintendent, retiring at the end of 1985, at which time Paul Wetmore, Sr. was appointed to replace him.
This photo of Asst. Supt. Paul Wetmore, Sr. on the phone in the Superintendent's office was taken around 1983.
When Asst. Chief Walt Macdowall accepted the fire chief's job in La Grange, Illinois in 1991, Paul Wetmore, Sr. was appointed to take his place. He succeeded Chief John Tramontano two years later and served until 1996. Both very happily retired, Richie and Paul are occasional attendees at HFRA meetings.
Posted 10/24/14
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October 24, 1951
One of the first structure fires to hit Hamden after the closing of the Highwood fire station occurred sixty-three years ago when a large barn was destroyed on Hubbard Place off Ridge Road. This was just over three weeks after Engine 1 and the Ladder Truck were reassigned to the Humphrey fire station to be quartered with Engine 2.
Arrivng firefighters directed efforts at protecting exposures that had already sustained damage from flying brands. The four responding companies were most likely Engine 6, Engine 3, the Emergency Squad and the Ladder Truck.
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Thursday, October 25, 1951 (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Thursday, October 25, 1951 (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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| Photo by Edward W. DuBord (Courtesy of Dennis Baker) |
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This undated photo of Station 2 by Edward W. DuBord shows Engine 2 (1984 Pierce Dash), Rescue 2 (1986 Chevy) and Engine 1 (1968 Maxim S Model). Firefighters Harold Mangler and Don Buechele are next to Rescue 2. Years later, Buechele would be appointed as the department's Superintendent of Apparatus, and Mangler the Assistant Superintendent. Website thanks to Dennis Baker for providing this and numerous other photos that will be posted in the near future.
Posted 10/24/14
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| Photo by Christine Johnson |
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Columbus Day 1974
Forty years ago Hamden was represented in a New Haven parade twice within six months by the Mt. Carmel Volunteer Fire Co. The first was in New Haven's Columbus Day Parade on October 13, 1974, when about a dozen members marched with their modestly appointed 1960 GMC brush truck, Car 55, pictured here motoring east down Chapel Street near the Yale Art Gallery.
The second was New Haven's St. Patrick's Day Parade the following March 16th, when the company marched the same route with Mayor Lucien DiMeo immediately after the ground breaking ceremony for Station 5's new annex.
Posted 10/24/14
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