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| FIREWORKS NEXT FRIDAY!
The Hamden Symphony Orchestra will perform next Friday evening, June 29th, at the 25th Annual Hamden Volunteer Firefighters' Fireworks at Town Center Park. Rain date is Saturday, June 30th.
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2018
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, June 29th.
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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| Photo by Priscilla Pechmann |
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Hamden Fire Department Lt. Jeff Pechmann is a captain with the Cheshire Fire Department. A couple of weeks ago, Jeff sent these photos of Cheshire's 1913 Model-T Ford chemical truck in that town's May 27th Memorial Day Parade.
Jeff admitted gleefully that he pulled rank to drive it in the parade because his passenger was going to be none other than our own HFRA member Doug Yocher, who served as Chief of the Cheshire Fire Department in the 1980s.
Jeff noted that driving a Model-T is quite different from driving other automobiles. There are three pedals, but not the same three pedals you'll find with a conventional stick shift.
One pedal is for going forward, one for braking, and one for reverse. The throttle and spark are controlled with levers on the steering wheel.
Cheshire's antique has been completely restored since the photo below was taken some fifty years ago in a similar parade. The driver and passenger are unidentified, but they undoubtedly got their driver's licenses when this truck was new.
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| Photo coutesy of Chan Brainard |
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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Here's another view of HFD career alumnus and former Cheshire fire chief Douglas Yocher in Cheshire's recent Memorial Day Parade. Chauffeur is CFD Capt. Jeff Pechmann, a career lieutenant in the HFD.
Photo taken by Cheshire Station 3 Captain Brian Owen, also a Walllingford career firefighter.
Posted 6/22/2018
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Fennbrook Drive - January 13, 1951
Chan Brainard took this photo of Firefighter Clem Kammerer at a brush fire on Fennbrook Drive on Chan's 13th birthday. Firefighter Kammerer is shown atop Engine 6, the 500 GPM Maxim that was delivered to Highwood in March 1926. Merritt Street's 1924 Stutz was replaced by the 1926 Maxim when it was transferred out of Highwood with the delivery of the 600 GPM 1942 Diamond-T.
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| Chan Brainard photo |
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Firefighter Richie Lostritto, who had been on the department only four months, is pictured at right. Richie, who is an active member in the HFRA, was appointed the department's first fulltime Asst. Supt. of Alarms and Apparatus in June 1965. He became Superintendent in 1968 and retired in 1985.
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| Chan Brainard photo |
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A nice shot of Ff. Kammerer behind Engine 6. Clement Kammerer was appointed to the department in January 1928 and retired in November 1959. He passed away on June 15, 1973.
Posted 6/22/2018
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The guys of Platoon 1 at Station 9 checked on retired B/C Tom Doherty and his wife Betty shortly after a tornado devastated their property on Tom Swamp Road. Pictured left to right are Lieut. Matt Sarracco, Doherty, Firefighter Dan Mota and Firefighter Jay Connolly, who was in the department's January 1981 recruit training class that was conducted by then-Capt. Doherty. Tom really appreciated their visit.
The Doherty house sustained significant roof damage and Tom estimated that 90% of the trees on the once-heavily-wooded property were lost when the twister struck West Woods on May 15th.
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Below, Doherty and Capt. George Hindinger of Dunbar Hill Co. 8 are pictured at last Tuesday night's meeting of the New Haven County Fire Emergency Plan at Station 8, where the organization has held its June meeting for many decades. Traditional refreshments for the June meeting include strawberries from Hindinger's Farm.
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"Fitzy" New President of Emergency Plan
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| NHCFEP President Bill Fitzmaurice |
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Tuesday, June 19th - The traditional June meeting of the New Haven County Fire Emergency Plan was held at the Dunbar Hill fire station. Bill Fitzmaurice, retired Hamden battalion chief, will serve as president of the organization for the next year.
The department's new Car 3 made an appearance, driven by Fitzmaurice's February 1987 Fire Fighter I classmate, B/C Ron Desroches.
The new Engine 5, a Smeal quintuple combination pumper that was delivered last summer, also made the trip to Station 8.
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| "The Rev" in civilian togs - CLICK to enlarge |
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| Co. 8's "Kitchen Crew" - CLICK to enlarge |
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In his first fire department-related outing since breaking his hip last January, Rev. Owen Sanderson (pictured left above) attended the June meeting of "The Plan," of which he is the chaplain. This was also the Rev's first appearance since he officially retired as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, where he served since the church was founded nearly sixty years ago. We hope to see him at the upcoming July 12th meeting of the HFRA.
At right are some of Co. 8's Kitchen Crew who helped to prepare the food and other refreshments for the members of the Plan. Great job, boys (the guy on the far right sports a great bb cap).
Posted 6/22/2018
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| Car 3 2018-style |
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| Firefighter Dave Beaton rolls out Engine 5's 1000 feet of LDH |
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Hamden's new Smeal 1,500 g.p.m. pumper, delivered last summer, was also featured at the meeting. It carries 1,000 feet of 5" supply line, a 485-gallon tank, an array of ground ladders, and is equipped with a 75-foot rear-mount aerial ladder.
Firefighter Dave Beaton was in the process of rolling out the tray of LDH supply line when an alarm came in for 135 Sanford Street. Demo postponed.
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Whoops!
This purple dumpster truck tangled with overhead wires on Benham Street this past week - and lost.
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ANSWERS from last week - You'll never again see the following on an HFD watch desk:
1) a rotary dial telephone
2) a Gamewell tape and take-up reel
3) a daily calendar wth a cigarette advertisement
4) an ASH TRAY
5) a General Electric Lighted Dial Rotating Flip Alarm Clock Model 8127K (thank you D/C Merwede!)
and, of course
6) a 1978 calendar
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A REMINDER
The website is taking the summer off again this year.
The last regular weekly update before the break is NEXT FRIDAY, June 29th.
Regular weekly updates will resume Friday, September 7th.
As always, important notifications and reports of significant incidents
will be posted immediately on the HOME page - so keep checking in.
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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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