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SEPTEMBER 2020
Important updates will be posted immediately.
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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for official COVID-19 notifications
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For the duration of the COVID emergency all password protected pages, except Members Only pages, are open to all website visitors.
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Kitchen Fire
Broadmoor Apartments
660 Mix Avenue - 3rd Floor
Thursday, September 17, 2020
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| Photos courtesy of the Hamden Fire Department - CLICK EITHER PHOTO TO ENLARGE |
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| At 6:09 p.m. on Thursday evening, September 17th, a full assignment of apparatus was dispatched to a smoke alarm activation at the Broadmoor Apartments (formerly Apple Hill), 660 Mix Avenue. Arriving at 6:15, Squad 1 reported numerous residents evaculating the building. Some were reporting that the third floor hallway was filling with smoke.
On the third floor, firefighters encountered a heavy smoke condition and a kitchen fire in one the apartments, which they quickly extinguished. The incident was declared under control by Battalion Chief Richard Ortlowski at 6:28.
Fire department companies remained on scene overhauling the kitchen area and ventilating the building. Residents were able to return to their apartments by 7:00 p.m.
The fire started when a pot with cooking oil boiled over and ignited nearby combustibles and the kitchen cabinets. Three residents were displaced by the fire and were provided accommodations by the American Red Cross. No injuries were reported.
Responding companies: Squad 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Tower 1, Rescue 1, Car 3, Car 5 (Marshal).
Posted 9/18/2020 1300 hrs.
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Town of Hamden
Office of the Mayor
2750 Dixwell Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
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Click the links below to share this press release
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Blaze at old Hamden Schoolhouse No. 6
Shepard Avenue at Sanford Street
Friday, September 4, 2020
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| Hamden's former Schoolhouse No. 6 (c.1979) - Hamden Historical Society |
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This photo, courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society, was taken about 50 years after this building ended service as Hamden Schoolhouse No. 6 in 1929. Since then, the structure has been a private dwelling.
Yesterday, September 4, 2020, the Hamden Fire Department was summoned to a working structure fire in this building. Hamden firefighters worked quickly to knock it down, although the interior had already suffered extensive damage.
CHECK OUT the fire photos taken by Bob Mordecai.
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55 Years Ago!
September 2, 1965
Chief V. Paul Leddy HATED White Apparatus
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| Chief V. Paul Leddy |
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In August 1965 the Hamden Fire Department acquired its one and only Mack pumper. It was the first new full-size apparatus purchased since 1959, and first new apparatus since 1954 to be painted red. Chief V. Paul Leddy, then in the fifth of his nearly 24 years as head of the department, was unalterably opposed to white, so there was no way that the first pumper acquired during his tenure was going to be any color but red.
But for Chief Leddy the acquisition of this brand new RED fire engine was a perfect example of mixed emotions (you know, like watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff . . . in your new Cadillac). As much as the Chief was delighted to be returning to red with this brand new pumper, he hated "the Mack." This is confirmed by fire commission minuites of the day, as well as from his own statements. He would have preferred a Maxim instead of a Mack, maybe even if it was painted white.
Check out The Hamden Chronicle article below. Those who knew Chief Leddy will recall that he was far more caustic in his criticism of white apparatus than this article suggests. If you really wanted to give the Chief a good natured tease, all you had to do was ask, "Chief, what do you really think of white fire engines?" Then get the hell out of his way. (The webmeister, BTW, shared his POV.)
Originally posted 9/13/13
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Thursday, September 2, 1965 (Article courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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50 Years Ago!
1970 Maxim 100' Aerial Ladder Truck Delivered
1970 - 1990
Hamden's second aerial ladder truck, this 1970 Maxim 100' model, was delivered just fifty years ago as the new Station 3 was being prepared to open. The 1970 Maxim truck, initially designated Ladder 2 (then Truck 2, and finally Truck1) remained at Station 3 for the entire twenty years that it was in service.
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| September 1970 |
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September 1970 - Truck 2 - Maxim 100' Aerial on the Dixwell Avenue side of Town Hall. L-R: D/C Daniel Hume, Mayor Williams Adams, Chief V. Paul Leddy, Comm. Irving Saslow, and Town Clerk Thomas Raccio. Helmeted firefighter appears to be Jeff Stoehr. Note the CITGO service station on the southwest corner of Whitney and Dixwell where Adams Park is today. (Photo by John Mongillo, Jr.)
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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Dep. Chief Training Officer Daniel Hume is seen here breaking in Firefighter Bobby Slater on Ladder 2, shortly after "new" Station 3 opened on September 11, 1970. This image was scanned from a slide taken by Ed Doiron Sr.
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This Polaroid photo (below) was found years ago with several others taken in the summer of 1970 at the Maxim factory in Middleboro, Massachusetts as Hamden awaited delivery of its second aerial ladder truck.
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| Summer 1970 - Hamden's 100' Maxim at the Middleborough, MA factory, awaiting doors and other finishing touches. |
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30 Years Ago
First new ladder truck in 20 years placed in service
September 1990
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The Hamden Fire Department's first new ladder truck in twenty years was placed in service in September 1990 with the delivery of this Pierce 105' rear mount "quint" aerial ladder truck. The new truck replaced Hamden's 1958 Maxim 75' and 1970 Maxim 100' aerial trucks. Both had been removed from service earlier in the year after an independent testing service declared them unsafe. In the interim the East Haven Fire Department lent the department its spare 1968 Seagrave 100' aerial ladder truck, which ran as Truck 1 out of Station 3 until the new truck was placed in service.
For years the department had been trying to acquire a replacement for the older trucks, but the chief's requests always fell on deaf political ears. Finally, following the May 1988 fire at the Davenport Residence, when New Haven and Cheshire each responded with a ladder truck through mutual aid, the Council scrambled to bond one new aerial truck in each of the next two fiscal years.
Hamden acquired its second new ladder truck with the delivery of the 1991 Pierce 100' tower ladder. The 1990 truck was then transferred to Station 5 as Truck 5. Equipped with a pump, attack lines and a tank of modest capacity, Truck 5 responded as an engine company on still alarms within its territory. On box assignments it functioned as a truck company.
At the time, the conventional wisdom among department members of all ranks was that the Town's purchase of two aerial trucks was typical Council overkill, when one ladder truck and two new pumpers for the same dime would have been preferable. But HFD got two new aerial trucks anyway, and waited seven more years for a new pumper to replace one that was 30 years old.
Now a spare, the 1990 Pierce 105' aerial truck is housed at Station 9. The 1991 Pierce 100' tower ladder was sold eight years ago to the Austin (Indiana) Fire Department.
Revised from original posting of 9/5/14
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| Hamden's 1990 Pierce 105' rear-mount aerial ladder truck at Station 5 (Photo by Frank Wegloski, courtesy of Daryl Osiecki) |
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| Hamden 1991 Pierce was sold to Austin (Indiana) Fire Dept. in 2011. (Photo by Frank Wegloski, courtesy of Daryl Osiecki) |
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At around 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 27th, an EF1 tornado ripped through northern and central Hamden on its way from Bethany to North Haven, where it achieved its greatest strength before fizzling out at the Long Island Sound coastline.
With estimated wind speeds exceeding 100 mph, and traveling about 60 mph, the tornado was on the ground for a total of only ten minutes from when it formed in Bethany until it broke up in North Haven.
Damage was not as extensive as the tornadoes that hit Hamden 1989 and 2018, but significant structural damage occurred in several areas.
Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Gary Merwede had been coordinating and preparing Hamden’s ongoing response, in conjunction with Mayor Leng, since before the storm arrived earlier Thursday afternoon and now throughout the recovery.
Mayor Leng stated, "Our Town was hit very hard today, and there was a lot of damage, but I'm very thankful that we do not believe there were any major injuries. Our residents can count on the fact that our Public Safety and first responder crews will be all-hands-on-deck and working through the night, and then as long as it takes to make our streets safe."
Chief Merwede provided the website with the following official report on the tornado from the National Weather Service:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
1046 PM EDT FRI AUG 28 2020
EF1 Tornado Confirmed from Bethany to North Haven, Connecticut
START LOCATION: Bethany in New Haven County
END LOCATION: North Haven in New Haven County
DATE: 08/27/2020
ESTIMATED TIME: 3:53 p.m. to 4:03 p.m.
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING: EF1
ESTIMATED MAX. WIND SPEED: 110 mph
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 500 yards
PATH LENGTH: 11.1 miles
BEGINNING LAT/LON: 41.448, -72.992
ENDING LAT/LON: 41.349, -72.828
FATALITIES: None
INJURIES: None
SUMMARY
Based on a National Weather Service damage survey done in conjunction with the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management, Homeland Security, and local Connecticut town emergency managements, it has been determined that a strong EF1 tornado, with a maximum wind speed of 110 mph tracked southeast from Bethany to North Haven.
The tornado first touched down in a forested area to the southeast of Judd Hill Road in Bethany. The tornado tracked southeast over primarily forested areas from Amity Road, to Munson Road towards Litchfield Turnpike, creating a path of damage about 75 yards wide, with hardwood tree damage consistent with wind speeds of 80 to 90 mph.
The path of the storm widened to around 300 yards as the tornado tracked southeast towards Lake Bethany. Structural damage, including significant roof damage to several homes, and snapped hardwood trees, indicated wind speeds of around 100 mph in this area.
The tornado path continued southeast for another four miles to near the town center of Hamden, Connecticut, with tree and structural damage indicative of wind speeds of 70 to 80 mph. The intensity picked up significantly as the tornado approached the center of Hamden, as evidence by extensive damage to numerous buildings, including the flat roof of a two-story building at 1 Evergreen Avenue, across from the Hamden Government Center, being torn apart.
Wind speeds are estimated to be around 100 mph based on the damage to these buildings, bent metal fencing around the Government Center, and uprooted and snapped trees.
The tornado reached maximum strength and width from this point on as it continued southeast across the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Rt. 15), Interstate 91, and down to the intersection of Arrowdale and Thompson Street in North Haven.
Tremendous hardwood tree damage and structural damage was indicative of wind speeds of 110 mph and an expanded width of 500 yards. It is at this point that the tornado appears to have dissipated with its destructive straight-line winds fanning out to the coast.
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A tree demolished this Ford Taurus wagon parked in a Bear Path Road driveway, just missing the home of retired Battalion Chief Gil Spencer and hs wife Helen, who now will be looking for another car. Fortunately, there were no injuries on Bear Path Road or, according to the NWS summary, nowhere else along the tornado's route.
Posted 8/30/2020
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| Governor Lamont Directs Flags To Half-Staff Friday in Observance of 9/11 Anniversary
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, September 11, 2020 in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 men, women, and children who were killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. 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.
In addition, Governor Lamont announced that the state will illuminate the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven – informally known by many residents as the Q Bridge – in red, white, and blue lights beginning at dusk on the evenings of Thursday September 10, and Friday, September 11, in recognition of the anniversary. Beacons capable of projecting light nearly six miles into the clear night sky will be lit until 1:00 a.m. during those nights.
CLICK HERE to read the Governor's complete Proclamation.
CLICK HERE for September 11, 2020 page..
Revised September 12, 2020
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Governor Lamont Directs Flags To Return
To Full-Staff Tuesday Evening
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to return to full-staff at sunset on the evening of Tuesday, September 29, 2020.
Flags have been flying at half-staff since September 18 as a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A burial service for Justice Ginsburg is scheduled to be held Tuesday.
Posted 9/29/2020 - 2320 hrs
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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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