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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2018
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, December 7th.
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Firefighter Maurice "Jay" Connolly, No. 1 Firefighter,
Has Retired After Nearly 38 Years of Service
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| In the kitchen on Thursday morning. |
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Last Thursday morning, November 29th, Firefighter Maurice "Jay" Connolly sat with his coffee in the kitchen with the rest of his Station 2 crew. It was the 13,836th calendar day since his first day on the Hamden Fire Department. It would be the start of his final shift.
Firefighter Connolly started on the job in early January 1981, with seven other recruits, the largest single group of recruits since July 1970. To put things in a historical perspective, Jay has served during the administrations of seven presidents of the United States, ten Hamden mayors, and six fire chiefs.
In his nearly 38 years on the job, Jay Connolly has been the object of tremendous respect from his fellow firefighters and officers alike, the genuine personification of the expression "veteran firefighter."
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Last day or not, Jay participated in the below grade rescue training being conducted by Lieut. Daryl Osiecki in the old repair shop at the back of Station 2.
But, just like the plans of war never survive contact the the enemy, no training session is ever immune from interruption. Engine 2 was dispatched to a fire alarm.
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It'll probably be a nothing call - but, hey, you never know. It's all part of the mystery of every response - you really never know for certain what awaits you and your crew. Never assume anything.
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One could not helping wondering if this would be the last time Jay would be driving Engine 2. (It wasn't. The department responded on 59 alarms during that shift.)
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Just like thousands of times before
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One last view with his crew
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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Platoon 1 - Station 2
Thursday, November 29, 2918
Left to right: Lieutenant Daryl Osiecki, Firefighter Jay Connolly,
Firefighter Jason Davis, Firefighter/Paramedic Zach Criscuolo, and Firefighter/Paramedic Will Heiney.
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Platoon 1 shift commander Batt. Chief John Spencer, in front of Engine 2, offered his congratulations to Jay during his final shift. Except for a couple of years on the 3rd in the mid-1980s, Jay has spent most of his career assigned to the 1st, working under five different Platoon 1 shift commanders: Dep. Chief Paul Rosadina, Cmdr. Jack Laffin, and Batt. Chiefs Bill Coppola, Jim Leddy, and John Spencer.
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Jay and his son Kenny Connolly, who works at AMR, was precepting on Rescue 2 that day for his upcoming Paramedic certification.
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. . . and suddenly, after 59 calls department-wide, it's the end of the shift.
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| It's 8 a.m. - Jay is officially retired. |
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At 0800 Friday morning, November 30th, literally dozens of active and retired Hamden fire personnel and other friends assembled at Station 2 to congratulate and pay tribute to No. 1 Firefighter Maurice "Jay" Connolly, at the conclusion of his final shift after nearly 38 years on the Hamden Fire Department.
Jay Connolly started his career on the Hamden Fire Department on Monday, January 12, 1981. He is the last active department member to have served under Chief V. Paul Leddy, who retired in 1984.
All told, at an estimated 100 individuals, the size of the crowd at 2's was astounding, but not surprising given the occasion. No one could remember when or if that many people had ever assembled at the Humphrey station, which was built 105 years ago.
At the recent meeting of the Hamden Retirement Board at which Connolly's retirement was voted, Acting Chief Gary Merwede and Capt. Gregory Bannon, who are board members, both heaped well-deserved praise on Jay, noting the mentoring that he provided to both when they first became fire officers. That praise was echoed by fellow Retirement Board member Bob Freeman, himself a retired West Haven assistant fire chief.
The newly-minted lieutenant may be the official crew leader, but he succeeds best with the help and advice of the senior firefighter. If this were the Army, Jay would be the top soldier.
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In the beginning . . .
The department was without a training officer when Deputy Chief Ken Harrington retired at the end of 1980. So, when eight new firefighters were appointed to start in January 1981, Chief V. Paul Leddy tapped then-Captain Tom Doherty to put them through recruit training.
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| Capt. Doherty |
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Hamden did not have a formal recruit training program and there were no state certification courses for entry level firefighters at the time. Doherty reached out to Branford's Chief Peter F. Mullen and New Haven Fire Department's Lieut. William Seward for training material, which he then used to organize the department's first entry level training program based on NFPA standards.
Hamden's new firefighters reported to work on Monday, January 12, 1981. In addition to Jay, Doherty's recruit class consisted of John Longo, John O'Dea, Tim O'Flynn, Harold Prescher, Robert Stacy, Robert Surprise, and Paul Wetmore Jr.
Capt. Doherty started by taking his class around to the firehouses. Your webmeister vividly recalls meeting them all when they came to Station 5, where he worked on Truck 1 with Ernie Braun. Capt. Doherty asked him to tell the recruits all about Local 2687 and the still-extant Sick Benefit Association, of which he was secretary.
When recruit training was concluded, the new firefighters got their long-awaited letters of assignment from Chief Leddy. Jay was assigned to Platoon 1 with Bob Stacy. O'Flynn and Prescher went to Platoon 2, O'Dea and Wetmore to Platoon 3, and Longo and Surprise to Platoon 4. All went on to serve the department with distinction.
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Two members of the Class of January 1981 and their instructor were on hand to congratulate Jay, the last of the original eight to retire. Left to right: Bob Surprise, Tom Doherty, Connolly, and John O'Dea.
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Harold Mangler (left) served from November 1964 until his retirement at the end of October 2006, 41 years and 11 months. Only Marshal Al Purce (1925-1968) and Chief V. Paul Leddy (1941-1984) served longer. Harold and Jay are in an elite group. Fewer than 7% of the well over three-hundred Hamden career firefighters since 1918 have served longer than 35 years.
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When the long-standing tradition of "Badge No. 1" was resurrected in 2016, Chief David Berardesca pinned it on Connolly, the department's most senior firefighter.
| Since the beginning, the department's most senior firefighter had always worn Badge No. 1, but the tradition ended unceremoniously in the early 1990s. In 2016, the tradition returned - and it will continue.
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Acting Chief Gary Merwede congratulates Firefighter Connolly, who was already a seasoned veteran firefighter when the Chief came on the job 22 years ago.
| Firefighter Curt Vogt, president of Local 2687, offers his congratulations and that of the local. Vogt will now wear Badge No. 1 as the department's most senior firefighter.
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Glimpses of Jay's Farewell at 2's
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Retired B/C Sam DeBurra was among the many retirees to wish Jay well.
| Lieut. Jeff Naples offers his best wishes to Jay.
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Jay's son Kenny was on hand for his dad's farewell reception. Ken was precepting for his Paramedic certification on Rescue 2 that day.
| Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Lunn greeted Jay, who had been officially retired about an hour. Tim would be officially retired at the end of the work day.
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HFRA members Sam DeBurra and Donny LaBanca, both retired B/Cs, flank Honorary Member Jeanine Aceto, who was the Chief's secretary from 1984 until her retirement several years ago. Some insist that Jeanine must have been six when she got the job.
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Batt. Chief Ron Desroches and Chick Manware. Chick is very active in the HFRA, seldom misses a meeting and is always there to serve Honor Guard when we lose a member.
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Jay Always Cared About His Station
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Nearly three years ago during the "2015-16 Posterity Project,", Jay posed above in front of Engine 9 at Station 9 with now-retired Lieut. C.J. Hedges (left) and Firefighter Russell Quick.
Afterward, Jay posed beside this classic sliding barn-style door that was built to separate and sound-proof the laundry room from the living quarters.
Jay and fellow Platoon 1 personnel constructed the door from salvaged materials, although it could easily pass for a high three-figure fixture purchased from Cheshire's House of Doors.
Jay and his Station 9 cohorts have done an outstanding job of preserving and improving the appearance and overall livablity of their 48-year old workplace. Kudos!
Next week, the website will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Station 9.
Photo originally posted 2/26/16
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A Talented and Generous Craftsman, Too
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When a local fraternal organization held a raffle in 2000 to help the family of a Hamden firefighter whose child was diagnosed with cancer, Jay pulled out all the stops to help. An outstanding craftsman, Jay Connolly built this amazing toy ladder truck from scratch. It was one of the top prizes. The child has recovered and is now a healthy, married adult.
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417 Years of Service
With all those retirees there to wish Jay well, the occasion cried out for a photo-op. Jay Connolly (sixth from left), sandwiched between two of his other Class of '81 recruits, was joined in retirement later on Friday by Dep. Fire Marshal Tim Lunn (far right), who would officially retire about eight hours later. More about Tim's service in next week's update.
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| 417 years, 7 months of service! - CLICK TO ENLARGE - Photo by Lieut. Jeff Pechmann |
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Left to right: Fred "Chick" Manware (1971-96), Dave Proulx (1994-2014), Sam DeBurra (1994-2015), Tom Doherty (1961-96), Bob Surprise (1981-2013), Jay Connolly (1981-2018), John O'Dea (1981-2012), Bill Fitzmaurice (1987-2015), Don LaBanca (1978-2015), Don Buechele (1982-2014), Mike Murray (1979-2004), Harold Mangler (1964-2005), Dave Johnson (1975-99), and Tim Lunn (1994-2018).
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Gov. Malloy Directs Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of President George H.W. Bush
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be lowered to half-staff beginning immediately in remembrance of President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Friday evening.
Pursuant to U.S. Code (4 U.S.C. 7m), the flag shall be flown at half-staff for a period of 30 days following the death of a president or former president. Accordingly, since no flag should fly higher than the U.S. flag, all other flags, including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise, should also be lowered during this same duration of time.
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President Donald J. Trump has designated
Wednesday, December 5th as a National Day of Mourning.
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| Firefighter Milner Benham (1968) |
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Firefighter Milner Benham
(1928 - 2018)
The Memorial Service for retired Hamden Firefighter Milner Benham will take place at 6:00 o'clock tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, December 5th, at Dunbar United Church of Christ, 767 Benham Street, corner of Dunbar Hill Road.
We also were recently notified that Milner's wife, Joan Benham, passed away on November 22nd.
Posted 12/4/2018
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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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