| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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46 Years Ago
April 10, 1970
26-28 Dudley Street
The alarm came in around 8:15 on Friday night, April 10, 1970. Engine 2 and Ladder 1 out of Station 2, Engine 3 and Rescue 1 out of old Station 3, and Car 30 (D/C George Reutenauer) responded on a reported house fire at 26-28 Dudley Street (the newspaper mistakenly gave the address as 30 Dudley).
Fire was coming through the roof when Engine 2 arrived on scene. A second alarm brought Engine 6 out of Merritt Street), Engine 4 and Rescue 2 out of HQ (Sta. 4), and Car 40 (Chief V. Paul Leddy). Firefighter Art Heriot was photographed with one of five puppies rescued from the building. There were no injuries, but the second and third floors received significant damage.
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| New Haven Register, Sunday, April 12, 1970 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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Chief V. Paul Leddy (white turnout gear) can be seen on the second floor porch communicating with Deputy Chief Reutenauer (white helmet) at the front of the building.
The late G. Donald Steele, who was captain of Co. 5 at the time, maintained a log book of calls involving Co. 5 volunteers, who were on standby due to the second alarm. Don also noted that for the duration of the incident Engine 59 (Co. 9 vols.) stood by with Engine 9 at Station 9, Engine 5 transferred to HQ, Engine 58 (Co. 8 vols.) transferred to Station 2, and Co. 7 volunteers stood by in their quarters.
When comparing the 1970 newspaper photo of the house with a photo taken this week, the much shallower roof slope in the newer photo would seem to indicate that the third floor living quarters was downsized into a storage area when the house was rebuilt following the fire.
Posted 4/8/16
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And speaking of Dudley Street . . .
Sixty-five years ago this week The Hamden Chronicle reported that one of Hamden's oldest fire hydrants was replaced at the corner of Dudley Street and Dixwell Avenue. Records from Chief Charles Loller's era indicated that Hamden's first hydrant was "set" in 1898 at Alling Street and Dixwell Avenue, one block south of Dudley. The hydrant replaced in 1951 at Dudley and Dixwell likely dated from that time, when the Highwood Volunteer Fire Association was only two years old.
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| Article: Hamden Chronicle, April 5, 1951 (Courtesy of the Hamden History Society) / Hydrant Photo (DGJ) |
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The hydrant presently located at Dudley and Dixwell is a modern three-way unit with a "steamer" port. Hamden's earliest hydrants were two-way hydrants - only two 2-1/2" ports and no steamer. Many two-way hydrants were still in service into the 1990s.
Posted 4/8/16
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| Training Officer, Capt. John Grasso |
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Posterity Project
Training Division
Training Officer, Capt. John Grasso
The website is celebrating today's future HFD retirees with the
HFRA "Posterity Project," a collection of photographs of
every current active member of the department, line and staff.
Featured this week is Capt. John Grasso, Training Officer,
who oversees and coordinates all department training.
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Connecticut Firemen's Historical Society Re-opening
- - - New Website - - -
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In the March 2016 edition of The Trumpet, a newsletter for members of the Connecticut Firemen's Historical Society, the organization reports that it now has a new website: TheFireMuseum.org (CLICK on the large photo below).
The Society's museum, located in a 1901 fire station at 230 Pine Street in Manchester, will re-open on April 9th for a full schedule. The Society, organized in 1970, just acquired the 1912 Seagrave chemical and hose wagon (right), which was among Manchester's fire motorized pieces of fire apparatus and was also assigned to the same fire station that now houses the museum.
We encourage our members and other web visitors to visit the website as well as the museum itself. Among the many fire department artifacts there are a watch desk with a dial candlestick telephone and walnet ringer box that were once installed at Hamden's Mt. Carmel Fire station.
Posted 4/8/16
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| CLICK on this photo to visit the Connecticut Fire Museum website. |
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2016 Harley Davidson to be Raffled!
The Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club, Gertz-Meriden Motorcycle Club of Connecticut, Inc. is comprised of police officers, firefighters, and any other public safety officers or employees. The club sponsors the High Hopes Home in Meriden for severely handicapped and abandoned children.
The Club also makes donations to other charities during the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys for the Home, the Meriden Fire Department and, when possible, other organizations that support their cause. The Club's only source of income is an annual Motorcycle Raffle.
This year's raffle prize - the ONLY prize - is a
Brand New 2016 Harley Davidson Street Glide!
Only 2000 tickets will be sold, at a cost of $20.00 per ticket.
The drawing for this beautiful motorcycle will take place on July 30th at 5:00 p.m. at the Meriden American Legion, Post #45, 835 Hanover Rd., Meriden, Connecticut. The lucky winner need not be present at the drawing, but is responsible for all taxes.
Contact Rich (Rambo) Maybury at 203-927-1641 for a ticket (or tickets) and/or for more information.
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Spark Time
Website thanks to Mel Kooper of Temple Terrace, Florida for sending along this photo of that city's late-model Pierce quint, taken in the parking area of a local grocery store. According to the Temple Terrace Fire Department website, the department is manned by 51 career and 20 volunteer personnel.
Posted 4/8/16
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| Photo by Mel Kooper |
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