| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Please check out two upcoming events to benefit two of our fellow Hamden guardian services brothers. One is a fundraiser for a Hamden police officer who's battling esophageal cancer; the other to benefit Parkinson's research in honor of a courageous and revered HPD retiree.
(Stories further down)
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30 years Ago!
27 Edwards Street
Saturday, February 9, 1985
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Pregnant woman trapped on top floor rescued from certain death by firefighters
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| © 1985 - The New Haven Register - Photos by Kirby Kennedy and John Mongillo, Jr. (Courtesy of Jim Moore) |
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Five firefighters were injured while fighting this two-alarm blaze in a three family house at 27 Edwards Street. Several occupants were rescued, including a 23-year old woman who was trapped on the third floor.
According to The Hamden Chronicle, "Firefighters Wayne Lowry, Carl Backus and James Moore reached the third floor through the front staircase of the building and broke down the locked door behind which the woman, Donna Williams, was trapped."
The extreme cold and icy conditions made this an especially trecherous job for the 35 firefighters who were on the scene. News accounts stated that near zero temperatures and very high winds brought the wind chill to minus 35 degrees.
Several inch and three-quarter lines were stretched up the front and rear stairways for an interior attack that kept flames from the unburnt portions of the building. A master stream from the ladder pipe of Truck 1, subbing for the out-of-service Truck 2, successfully protected an adjacent building only a few feet from the fire building. Thirteen residents were relocated through the Red Cross.
Joe Ciscone, a veteran of the East Haven Fire Department, was on the scene that day and took some amazing photos. We are very grateful to Joe for allowing our website to post his photos, which are copyrighted © 2009 by Joe Ciscone.
A total of 17 of Joe's photos of the Edwards Street fire, as well as 25 photos of the French-Italian fire two weeks earlier, are all available for purchase from Joe's website.
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| The Hamden Chronicle, February 13, 1985 - The injured firefighter in the above photo was John O'Dea. |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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The day of this fire Truck 2, Hamden's 1970 Maxim 100' aerial, was out of service for repairs. Truck 1, at right in the above photo, was Hamden's 28 year old Maxim "junior" aerial. It was actually still in service at Station 9, but ran out of Station 3 while Truck 1 was being repaired.
Later in 1985, the older truck would become a spare and the 1970 truck, re-designated "Truck 1," would become Hamden's sole active ladder company. Both trucks were removed from service by 1990.
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Events to help our fellow Hamden guardian services brothers . . .
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Feb. 18th Hamden PBA Fundraiser for
Hamden Police Officer Battling Cancer
| Ride With Larry Film Documentary
to be Shown Locally in April
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| Tickets available at the door, or donations may be mailed to Hamden PBA, PO Box 295, Hamden, CT 06518 - Attn: Gery Fundraiser |
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| Retired HPD Capt. Larry Smith - CLICK to view HFRA's Nov. 2010 story with links about Larry's anticipated ride |
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Retired Hamden police officer Glenn Kaas informs us that he has received a copy of the documentary Ride With Larry, which chronicles retired HPD Capt. Larry Smith's heroic battle with Parkinson's and his ride across South Dakota on his three-wheel bike. Glenn and his wife Carrie have arranged to show the film as a fund-raiser for Parkinson's Disease.
The Parkinson's Fundraiser will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15th at the new Quinnipiac Law School/Med School campus in North Haven (former Blue Cross building). Doors will open at 4:30.
There will be snacks and a discussion period following the film. Glenn added, "We hope to get Larry and Betty Smith on SKYPE to join in."
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Daw Packing Co.
School Street and Washington Avenue
Friday, February 3, 1978
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In the early hours of Friday, February 3, 1978, Engine 4 on Platoon 3, under the command of Capt. Tom Doherty, was first in for a basement fire at the Daw Packing Co. on the corner of School Street and Washington Avenue.
For the second time in six months, gas service created a major problem for Hamden firefighters. An October 1977 explosion caused by leaking gas destroyed an apartment in Whitneyville. In this emergency, a ruptured gas line fed the fire for more than four hours. Zero degree temperatures and a two-week old accumulation of heavy snow and ice had made it impossible for Southern Connecticut Gas Co. employees to locate and turn off the building's gas service.
Three days later, Connecticut was treated to the infamous "Blizzard of '78," which dumped more than two feet of snow on Hamden and paralyzed state roads for several days.
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| © The New Haven Register - Friday, February 3, 1978 |
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| © 1978 - The New Haven Register |
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| © The Hamden Chronicle - February 10, 1978 |
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| September 1950 - The Hamden Chronicle (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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| Site of the Daw Packing Company building today. |
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Looks Like Izzy Got Here First!
It would appear that prolific New Haven area news photographer I.A. "Izzy" Sneiderman arrived at this Kimberly Road (off West Woods Road) house fire before Engine 5 on Saturday, September 3, 1960. At the time, Sneiderman lived right across Still Hill Road from the West Woods Volunteer firehouse. Over a career of several decades, he documented hundreds of New Haven area fires and other emergencies. Many Sneiderman photos are featured throughout this website.
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Actually, firefighters had great difficulty extinguishing this fire because of unusual terrain and inadequate water, and it was well involved when first reported.
Website thanks to Dep. Chief Gary Merwede for providing this and numerous other Sneideman photos, which will be posted in the future.
Revised 8/2/18
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Hamden's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) provides rehab and support for Hamden's
career and volunteer firefighters. This will be CERT's 8th class over its 10 years of existence.
We are asking for applications to be returned by February 5th.
PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT . . .
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