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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, October 26th.
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| Firefighter Milner Benham (1968) |
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Firefighter Milner Benham
(1928 - 2018)
We have been notified, and are saddened to report, of the passing on Thursday, October 18th, of retired Firefighter Milner Benham (90) in New Hampshire, where he had been residing since his 1981 retirement. Arrangements are not known at this time, but will be posted here when they are.
Milner Benham joined the Hamden Fire Department in December 1956 and was assigned to Platoon 2 under Deputy Chief Everett Doherty. When all personnel were re-assigned for the 42-hour workweek in 1970, Milner went to Platoon 1, where he remained until his retirement on the last day of 1981. Throughout most of his career he was at Station 4 riding the rescue.
Firefighter Benham was among the first eight of the department's certified paramedics when advanced life support services were first offered in 1976.
Please keep Milner's family in your thoughts and prayers at this sad time.
Posted 10/21/2018
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Merwede Named Acting Fire Chief
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| Acting Chief Merwede |
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The day Chief David Berardesca began his retirement last week, Mayor Curt Balzano-Leng appointed Deputy Chief Gary Merwede to be Acting Chief of the Hamden Fire Department until an official chief-designate is named.
Mayor Leng commented, “I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Deputy Fire Chief Gary Merwede as Hamden’s Acting Fire Chief & Director of the Office of Emergency Management, effective noon today. The work ethic and personal integrity demonstrated by Chief Merwede throughout his career in the Fire Department is exemplary. Further, his experience will allow for a seamless transition, as we wish former Fire Chief Berardesca all the very best with his retirement”
Acting Chief Merwede started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1987. When he joined the career department in 1994 as a Firefighter/EMT, he was assigned to Platoon 3 at Station 2. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2004.
During his twenty years as a firefighter and company officer, Merwede held every single office in Hamden firefighters' union affiliate, Local 2687 of the I.A.F.F. From 2006 until 2011, he served as Local 2687's third president, following which he was unanimously voted "President Emeritus."
Merwede was appointed Deputy Fire Chief in 2014 following the retirement of Deputy Chief Bob Surprise. In addition to being the department's Public Information Officer, Acting Chief Merwede holds certifications as a Fire Code Enforcement Officer and Fire Investigator.
Acting Chief Merwede also holds numerous emergency response and rescue certifications from the State of Connecticut, US Fire Administration, and FEMA. He has been a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters of Connecticut (UPFA), the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Connecticut Fire Marshal’s Association, and the International Association of Arson Investigators, and other related organizations.
His experience and expertise in the field of emergency response and management is particularly extensive and well suited for the needs of Hamden’s constituents. The Hamden Fire Department remains in outstanding hands.
Posted 10/19/2018
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| Capt. Burt Hillocks c. 1974 |
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| We received this photo and several others from Sgt. Franklin Wetmore (USAF), grandson of the late Burton "Burt" Hillocks, who served on the department from September 11, 1950 until February 18, 1981. Sgt. Wetmore promises more department photos to come. In his first batch of photos was this close-up of Burt's captain's badge, issued to him upon his promotion to that rank in late 1973. Until 1984, all department officers had gold badges. Lieutenants and captains now sport silver badges, gold now being reserved for the badges of chief officers.
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FDNY's Worst Day Before 9/11/2001
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October is the month when we honor our fallen brother and sister firefighters. It is particularly fitting that we feature this New York Daily News headline from 52 years ago today, reporting the heaviest loss of FDNY firefighters in a single incident before September 11, 2001.
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| New York Daily News, Wednesday, October 19, 1966 (Courtesy of Gilbert Spencer) - CLICK to enlarge |
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The fire at 7 W. 22nd Street resulted from improperly stored flammable liquids in the basement of a building that had been renovated by removing a load-bearing basement wall, which led to a floor collapse, killing ten firefighters. Two more died in the resulting flashover. A similar improper architectural modification in Boston's Hotel Vendome resulted in a similar collapse and the loss of nine Boston firefighters in June 1972.
Be safe!
Posted 10/19/2018
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| This I.A. Sneiderman photo courtesy of retired Chief Paul Wetmore Sr. and Acting Chief Gary Merwede - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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The 1938 Diamond-T "Emergency Squad" was 16 years old when it was refurbished, prepped, and repainted by these guys at Station 2. Left to right: Firefighter Vinny Roth (who did the spraying), Master Mechanic Clem Wetmore, Firefighter John Hoffman, Lieut. James Strain, and Firefighters George Reutenauer, Julius Norman, and Walt Thomas. Nice work!
The "Squad," as it was called, remained in service at Station 4 for another five years. In 1959, it was assigned to West Woods Volunteer Co. 9 as Engine 9. It eventually became a spare piece, stored at Station 5. It was sold in November 1971 to a private buiyer. Its present whereabouts in unknown.
Posted 10/19/2018
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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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