| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, June 8th.
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Mayor's Office Press Release - 5/30/18
Tornado Update
Red Cross Reports 86 Homes Destroyed
Fire Chief David Berardesca reported that all streets are now accessible to emergency vehicles. In total, 90 residences were visited by the Red Cross with 86 properties now classified by the Red Cross as being destroyed.
During the storm period, the Hamden Fire Department responded to 346 incidents, handled more than 75 medical patients and evacuated more than 100 non-injured residents.
An aid distribution center was established at West Woods School at 12:00 PM on May 17, 2018 and closed at 6:00 PM on May 19, 2018. 300 cases of water, numerous gallons of water for flushing of toilets and bathrooms, snacks and small food item were distributed from generous donations provided by residents, near-by businesses, school PTAs and many others.
Twenty-three Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members logged 323 man hours at the Center and served 79 families totaling 234 people.
A special thanks to Hamden, Stop and Shop, Shoprite, AAA, Milford Emergency Management, Amici Restaurant of Hamden, Falcon Pizza, and all residents and volunteers for their generous donations.
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Memorial Day 2018
All Memorial Day 2018 photos by Bob Mordecai
Memorial Day is a solemn national observance when we remember those who, while serving our country, gave everything to preserve the freedoms we all enjoy today.
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HFRA president Bob Mordecai took this group photo of the department's marching contingent in front of the high school just before the start of the parade. Many of Bob's photos are featured in this week's update. Bob was appointed to the department exactly forty years ago this week, along with Don LaBanca, Dennis Baker, John Bellmore, Wayne Lowry and Jim Beirne.
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Front row (L-R): Lt. Jeff Naples, Ff. Doug O'Rourke, Supt. Don Buechele (Ret.), Ff. Pete Lynch, Capt. Bryon Tierney, Capt. Adam Barletta, Chief David Berardesca, Dep. Chief Gary Merwede, Batt. Chief Bill Fitzmaurice (Ret.), and Ff. Paul Turner. Middle Row: Lt. Jim Dunlop (Ret.), Batt. Chief John Spencer, Lt. Julio Lopes, Batt. Chief Gary Couture, and Ff. Steve Sorrentino. Back Row: Ff. Kurt Vogt, Lt. Jeff Pechmann, Capt. Hugh O'Callaghan, Capt. Dave Johnson (Ret.), Ff. Austin Williams (Ret.), Ff. Tom Paranzino, and Ff. Brian Gagnon.
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Led by the department's Honor Guard, Chief Berardesca and Deputy Chief Gary Merwede, the department's 2018 marching contingent is pictured here getting ready to step off from the high school driveway.
Firefighter Paul Turner (far right) called cadence, the nearest marching band being well out of earshot. Right behind Turner is venerable firefighter, Austin "Augie" Williams (Ff. Ret.), who began marching with the department in 1969. Four other retirees also marched with our active brothers this year.
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Commander Owen Sanderson, USNR (Ret.), chaplain of the HFD and HFRA, rode in this military Jeep. Improving each day, the "Rev" is still recovering from the broken hip he suffered earlier this year. The HFD contingent can be seen in the background, as it prepares to enter Dixwell Avenue.
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Marching out of the north driveway of the high school onto Dixwell Avenue, Firefighter Doug O'Rourke holds the Colors and retired Supt. Don Buechele the Connecticut state flag.
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| SQUAD 1 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| ENGINE 2 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| ENGINE 3 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| ENGINE 5 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| TOWER 1 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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As the marchers neared the reviewing stand, it was clear that fewer spectators were present at curbside than twenty or thirty years before. Perhaps it was the overcast skies and cooler temperatures.
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| Memorial Day 1998 - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan |
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Members of the Hamden Professional Firefighters Local 2687 little league baseball team pose with department members opposite the high school just before stepping off in the 1998 Memorial Day Parade. L-R: Jim Moore, Dep. Chief Ed Badamo, Paul Turner, Batt. Chief Paul Wetmore Jr., Don Paczowski (driving Engine 2) Dave Proulx, Jeff Pechmann, Capt. Don LaBanca, Batt. Chief Jim Leddy, Lt. Bernie Amatrudo, Ed DeFrancesco, Ed Evers, Brian Badamo, Lt. Jeff Stoehr, Rob Madigosky, Lt. Mike DiStefano, Lt. Bill Fitzmaurice, Lt. Bob Surprise, Dep. Marshal John Spencer, Ron Mikolinski (team coach), Don Buechele, Capt. Dave Johnson, Mark Barletta, Bob Macauley, Scott Chasney, Ron Desroches, Harold Mangler, Paul Anderson, Mike Murray, Kevin Shields, and Julio Lopes.
(Photo courtesy Tim Sullivan)
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Memorial Day 1978
Getting Ready
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| It happened every Spring! |
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Remember all the prepping that went into the Memorial Day Parade? All apparatus were cleaned and polished in and out. Tires were painted black. Diamond plate was repainted silver. And those wooden ladders? They were scraped down with glass - usually mirrors - to remove remnants of old varnish, then revarnished and the tips painted white. This is what it looked like as Truck 2 was spruced up for the 1978 parade.
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| Truck 2 shines, all prepared for Hamden's 1978 Memorial Day Parade |
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| Truck 2 at the end of the 1978 parade - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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The parade is over. Waiting for Ff. Ray Reilly to hop aboard just north of the high school, Ff. Johnson prepares to return Truck 2 to Station 3. This was the second to the last time that Hamden's Memorial Day Parade ended at the high school. The 1980 parade would be the last.
In the background is the red 1968 Chrysler that was Chief V. Paul Leddy's car before the '75 LTD. When this photo was taken, the Chrysler was assigned to Dep. Chief Ken Harrington, the department training officer, who would be very busy for the next few weeks training six new recruits. Note Ernie's Auto Center, in the background, now long gone.
Posted 6/1/2018
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| May 29, 1978 - Memorial Day Parade - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Barb Olson |
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This photo from the 1978 parade has been posted recently by others on social media. It's worth posting here once again. Just as the marching unit was being dismissed at the high school, Lt. Frank Eitler posed for the young lady who snapped this photo. In the background (left) is Lt. John Tramontano.* Just over Lt. Eitler's left arm is Ff. Bobby Slater. Immediately behind the lieutenant is Asst. Supt. of Alarms & Apparatus Paul Wetmore Sr.* And behind him are Firefighters Sal "Cookie" Ferraro, Bob Macauley and Jim Leddy.*
*All future Chiefs of the Department
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| May 29, 1978 - Memorial Day Parade - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Barb Olson |
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A better view of Asst. Supt. of Alarms & Apparatus Paul Wetmore Sr. And behind him are Firefighters Sal "Cookie" Ferraro, Jim Leddy, and Bob Macauley. The Hamden supernumerary officer is Russ Loller, a USMC Vietnam veteran. Further back, the large guy in the white shirt is Vol 5 Captain Jim Beirne. The next day he would start recruit training along with Bob Mordecai, Don LaBanca, Dennis Baker, Wayne Lowry and John Bellmore.
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45 Years Ago
June 2, 1973
Pre-Mountain Rescue Team Mountain Rescue
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| New Haven Register, Sunday, June 3, 1973 (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) |
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Several years before the formation of the department's mountain rescue team, Sleeping Giant Park ranger Tim Steele, with the assistance of department personnel, affected the successful rescue of a 12-year old boy from the quarry at Sleeping Giant Park. This rescue went well, but in previous years numerous would-be climbers lost their lives attempting to climb these sheer quarry walls.
Co. 5 Volunteer Firefighter Raymond K. Spencer (left, in the news photo above) and Firefighter Ed Doiron of Engine 5 assisted the child off the rocks.
Posted 6/1/2018
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55 Years Ago
June 6, 1963
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Thursday, June 6, 1963 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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70 Years Ago
Parade Route
| 80 Years Ago
Chief's Daughter in Revue
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| Hamden Chronicle - May 27, 1948 |
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| New Haven Evening Register, June 7, 1938 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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Until the early 1950's, Hamden's Memorial Day Parade route started and ended where it ends today, at Dixwell and Old Dixwell Avenues. The parade proceeded north on Whitney to Washington, then down Washington to Dixwell, and back to the starting point.
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NEVER FORGET!
We will always remember our brother firefighters who made the supreme sacrifice, and the thousands of other innocent victims who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
Always keep them, their families and the FDNY in your thoughts and prayers.
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