| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| Firefighters Mike DeLine, Jr. and Nick Borelli |
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That was what Deputy Chief Gary Merwede reported on Wednesday, a full day after the snow stopped falling. He sent along this photo of Squad 1 firefighters Mike DeLine, Jr. and Nick Borelli as they shoveled out yet another hydrant somewhere in their territory on Wednesday.
Eastern and northeastern Connecticut got slammed, but the blizzard that hit the state on Tuesday-Wednesday was a little kinder to Hamden. Nevertheless, a lot of snow was deposited and the department was out doing what it always does when these things happen. Fortunately, no fires of any significance were reported.
Thank you, Deputy Chief Merwede, for sending in the photo. And congratulations, too. Today - January 30th - marks the first anniversary of his swearing-in as Deputy Chief.
Posted 1/30/15
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NOTE: The 90th Anniversary Hamden Fire Department Calendar, which was to have been a fundraiser for the HVFF Annual Fireworks, did not happen due to unexpected difficulties stemming from a shortage of participation.
Posted 3/12/15
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Calendar to Commemorate Department's 90th Anniversary
HFRA Assisting Fireworks Committee
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July 2015 will mark the 90th anniversary of the Hamden Fire Department. By 1925, Hamden's fire protection had been provided by its seven independent volunteer fire companies, starting with Highwood Co. 1 in 1896. But when the Hamden Fire Department was created under the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut in July of 1925, all the volunteer companies came under the municipal authority of a Board of Fire Commissioners and Building Inspector Charles Loller was appointed fire chief.
To honor the department's 90th anniversary and to raise funds for its 2015 fireworks display, the Hamden Volunteer Firefighters Fireworks Committee, in cooperation with the Hamden Fire Retirees Assn., is creating an 18-month commemorative calendar, covering July 2015 to December 2016.
The HFD 90th Anniversary Commemorative Calendar will feature scores of historic photos of Hamden fire apparatus, Hamden volunteer and career personnel and memorable Hamden fires. It promises to be a highly collectible keepsake that will delight and inspire readers to know more about the Hamden Fire Department for many years to come.
The calendar is expected to be ready for sale by early April. It will be available through the Fireworks Committee, the HFRA and the Hamden Historical Society. Local businesses will be encouraged to sell them as well.
For the next six weeks, area businesses and professional & fraternal organizations will be invited to support this year's fireworks by purchasing ads on commemorative calendar pages that will be around long after the 18 months are a distant memory.
Posted 1/3015
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Calendar and ad sales will help the Fireworks Committee raise money for the 2015 fireworks.
The calendar will also help the Hamden Fire Retirees Association to highlight and promote
a long and rich HFD history, as it strives to acquire space for a future HFD museum.
We encourage all Hamden businesses and organizations to support the calendar project.
- YOUR 2015-16 CALENDAR AD WILL BE AS MUCH A PART OF
THIS COLLECTIBLE KEEPSAKE AS THE PHOTOS -
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NOTE: The 90th Anniversary Hamden Fire Department Calendar, which was to have been a fundraiser for the HVFF Annual Fireworks, did not happen due to unexpected difficulties stemming from a shortage of participation.
Posted 3/12/15
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January 29, 1961
12 Alstrum Street - 117 North Street
Simultaneous Calls Keep Hamden Firefighters Busy 54 Years Ago
A two-alarm fire destroyed a woodworking shop on the corner of Alstrum Street and Cherry Ann Street on an icy morning 54 years ago. About an hour after dispatch of the second alarm, another fire was reported a few blocks away at 117 North Street. Fortunately, the second call was mostly smoke with little damage to the home's kitchen. The Alstrum Street job, however, did $75,000 worth of damage to the building, which was insured for only about half that figure. The building was eventually razed and a one story masonary structure built in its place. In the 1970s it housed a U.I. Co. meter repair facility.
CLICK ON ARTICLE TO ENLARGE FOR EASIER READING
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| The New Haven Register, January 30, 1961 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) CLICK to enlarge for easier reading |
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Hamden firefighters got hammered again a few days later, during the February 1st night shift, when fire heavily damaged a large home on Whitney Avenue at Home Place. As firefighters were taking up from that call, another fire was reported at 218 Skiff Street by Engine 3 while en route to Station 2 to change hose.
Posted 1/30/15
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110 Years Ago!
January 27, 1905 - "Upper" Axle Works Burns in Mount Carmel
There is no record of how the fire was extinguished, by human intervention or by a loss of fuel, but when fire destroyed Mt. Carmel's Upper Axle Works 110 years ago this week, only Highwood and Centerville had organized fire companies. Mt. Carmel did not have organized fire protection until over six years later when two volunteer companies were established there in late 1911.
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| The "Upper" Axle Works, on the east side of Whitney Avenue, north of Mt. Carmel Avenue (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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| Hartford Courant, January 28, 1905 |
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| c. 1907 - A new building was soon occupied by the Liberty Cartridge Company after the Axle Works packed it in. |
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The Mt. Carmel Volunteer Fire Company met for the first time on November 8th in St. Mary's Hall, on the present site Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. On December 2nd, the North Hamden Improvement Society met to organize a fire company at the building in the photo above, that replaced the one that burned in January 1905. By 1911, the Axle Works business was history and the Liberty Cartridge Co. occupied the new building.
In 1924, the North Hamden Fire Company donated its assets (and its members) to the fire company a mile further south, known on their charter as the "Mt. Carmel Volunteer Fire Company No. 1." The wood frame replacement of the original Axle Works building was still standing when aerial photos of the area were taken in 1934.
Posted 1/30/15
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| Courtesy of Chan Brainard |
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| In 2015, Darien's 1949 Quad is Alive, Well, and Looking Very Pretty in Louisiana
Stephen Hebert contacted our website earlier this week with an update on Darien's classic 1949 Model 58QD city service ladder truck, the factory photo of which was posted here three months ago. Steve is the rig's third owner. He reports that "she is lead truck in New Orleans Mardi Gras every year."
Steve sent us several photos of his meticulously restored truck, including the one below, taken as it was being prepared for a Christmas parade. The raised diamond plate hides a very handy feature that is not likely to be found on any other piece of fire apparatus currently in service. (See the second photo below.)
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| Today, Darien's 1949 Ward LaFrance shines in Louisiana |
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Perfect for after the parade, when the beer starts flowing. On the other side is a fridge and a wine rack.
Steve writes, the "That was our custom design and the lids are retractable with servo motors. It's a trick deal!"
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Both photos are Copyright © 2015 by Stephen Hebert
(Used with permission)
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