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July 2021
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014
2014 Summer Website Schedule:
The next regular HFRA website update will be Friday, August 22nd.
Important announcements will be posted immediately above the masthead.
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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A Visit From An Old Friend
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| Jack Calamo |
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| One of the best things about being a retiree is getting a phone call from an old friend and former colleague you haven't heard from in years.
Last Monday Jack Calamo visited Station 4, where he was greeted warmly by friendly firefighters, some of whom were still in grammar school when Jack was a company officer there. After a tour of the newly renovated station, they gave Jack my phone number. The call made my day. At 5:10 we met at the Dunkin Donuts and didn't leave till well after 8. Our time there was well spent sharing plenty of good memories and, of course, a lot of laughs. A wonder they didn't throw us out.
Jack retired in 1996. He and his wife Peg now grow and sell blueberries at their Penhook, Virginia farm. Recent health issues have been a concern for Jack, but he is looking and feeling much better now and aims to stay that way. He hopes that a future hometown visit will coincide with a quarterly HFRA meeting.
DGJ - Posted 8/8/14
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In the 1970 photo below, Jack Calamo is in the front row standing immediately to the right of Dep. Chief Daniel Hume. He was one of fifteen recruits who joined the department three months before the changeover to a 42-hour workweek. Jack was among Hamden's first four paramedics in 1976 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1984.
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Class of July 1970 (L-R): Dep. Chief Hume, Jeff Stoehr, Jack Calamo, Dennis Cosgrove (rear), Frank Dorman, Steve Hitchcock, Ray Chase, Bob Kenney, Tom Mikolinski, Bill Coppola, Tony D'Agostino, Bill Giaquinto, Howie Hurlburt, Jr. (hidden), Jim Hagerty, John Corbett and Bob Kelo.
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Another Jack?
Website fan Mel Kooper, of Tampa, Florida sent this iPhone photo following his family's recent trip to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. This World War I era American LaFrance pumper, once assigned to the Jack Daniel's "Fire Brigade," helped to protect the facility in those halcyon days before the Volstead Act took effect - and probably for some time after Prohibition ended in 1933. NOTE: Lynchburg is located in Moore County, which remains "dry" to this day.
Posted 8/8/14
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| American LaFrance pumper at the Jack Daniel's Distillery's "Fire Brigade" in Lynchburg, Tennessee (Photo by Mel Kooper) |
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About Jack Daniel's location in a dry county, Mr. Kooper noted, "The factory has figured out how to sell you a bottle of Jack Daniel's. In the gift shop they sell you the 'collectible bottle' and give you the whiskey. They will also engrave your name on the bottle for you. If you are real thirsty and a bottle isn't enough, you can buy a whole barrel." The barrel, and its contents bottled for you, goes for somewhere in the $14,000 range - delivered to your favorite package store. (Liver transplant is extra.)
Added 8/10/14
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| Wednesday, August 8, 1962 - The New Haven Register (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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| A very young recruit Bob "Bubby" O'Donnell takes the wheel of Whitneyville's 1928 Maxim, while Lt. Everett Doherty and Co. 3 volunteer Larry Spahr stand with Co. 3 mascot "Belle." Bubby went on to become Hamden Fire Marshal, retiring 40 years after this 1947 photo was taken. |
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| Car 30 - 1961 Ford Fairlane |
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In January 1961, a new white Ford Fairlane two-door sedan costing $2,498.15 was purchased for the exclusive use of the Battalion Chiefs. The designation for this vehicle was "Car 30."
The Battalion Chiefs were stationed at Headquarters. Each night, after some careful maneuvering by the rescue driver, Car 30 was squeezed between the rescue and Engine 4.
After the title of Battalion Chief was changed to Deputy Chief the following November, the words "DEPUTY CHIEF" were painted on the two doors of this vehicle.
In January 1962, Chief Leddy was assigned a brand new white Rambler sedan costing $2,971.50. Apparently the 1956 Pontiac was traded in because it disappeared from department records after the Rambler was purchased.
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| 1965 Mack 750 GPM Pumper |
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In April 1963, the New Milford Fire Department purchased Hamden's 1941 Diamond-T city service ladder truck for $2,200. This spare ladder truck had been located at Station 5 since the Maxim 75' "Junior" aerial ladder truck was delivered in 1958.
In November 1964, the Board of Fire Commissioners voted to purchase a 1965 Mack 750 g.p.m. pumper that cost $19,21,940. It was Hamden's first full-size commercial body fire apparatus since 1942, It also was Hamden's first red apparatus since the 1954 Maxim was purchased.
Ironically, the next purchases were a new white 1965 Chevrolet sedan for the chief and a new white 1966 Ford station wagon for the deputy chiefs. They cost $2,240 and $2,565 respectively, and would be the last all white vehicles in the Hamden inventory.
The white 1961 Ford sedan previously assigned to the "Deputies" was reassigned Deputy Chief Training Officer Daniel Hume.
The Mack went in service at Headquarters in August 1965, and the 1954 Maxim was transferred to Whitneyville. The 1952 Maxim went to Mt. Carmel. And the 1951 Maxim went to Merritt Street.
The 1942 600 g.p.m. Diamond-T pumper that had been Engine 6 since 1959 was transferred to West Woods Volunteer Fire Co. 9. The old '38 Squad that had been Engine 39 since 1959 became a spare and was moved to the south bay at the Mt. Carmel station.
For the first time, the apparatus assigned to paid companies were all manufactured after WWII.
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Hamden Fire Department
Apparatus Inventory
1965
Station 2
Engine 1 (Spare) – 1938 Seagrave 600 g.p.m. pumper
Engine 2 – 1959 Maxim "Cab-Forward" 750 g.p.m. pumper
Ladder 1 – 1958 Maxim 75' "Junior" aerial ladder truck
Repair Shop
1952 Dodge D126 Maintenance Truck
Car 50 - 1955 Ford 1/2 Ton Pickup Truck (CD)
Station 3
Engine 3 – 1954 Maxim 750 g.p.m. pumper
Rescue 1 - 1958 International Travel-all
Station 4 (Headquarters)
Engine 4 – 1965 Mack 750 g.p.m. pumper - Delivered 8/18/65 - $21,940
Rescue 2 - 1960 International Travel-all
Car 30 - Dep. Chief - 1961 Ford Fairlane 2-dr. sedan - $2,300
Station 5
Engine 5 – 1952 Maxim 750 g.p.m. pumper
Spare – 1938 Diamond-T e/w 150 g.p.m. pump
Station 6
Engine 6 – 1951 Maxim 750 g.p.m. pumper
Station 7
Engine 37 – 1939 Diamond-T 500 g.p.m. pumper
Engine 47 – 1935 Dodge 150 g.p.m. pumper
Station 8
Engine 38 – 1942 Diamond-T 500 g.p.m. pumper
Station 9
Engine 39 – 1942 Diamond-T 600 g.p.m. pumper
Staff Vehicles
Car 40 - Chief - 1965 Chevrolet sedan - Purchased - $2,240
Car 41 - Marshal - 1962 Rambler
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014
2014 Summer Website Schedule:
The next regular HFRA website update will be Friday, September 5th.
Important announcements will be posted immediately above the masthead.
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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November 4, 1987 - Platoon 4, Station 3
The occasion was Ff. Sam Jones' birthday. Ff. Roger Sullivan, still working on his piece of cake, is sitting at left. Nestled together snuggly on the "love seat," Lt. Dave Strawhince, Ff. Harold Mangler and Lt. Eddie Badamo hammed it up for photographer Shirley Mangler while they eagerly awaited the arrival of the night shift.
We have good reason to believe that Sam is probably the guy whose legs are stretched out at the right. Great photo!
Posted 8/22/14
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| May 1991
Shirley Mangler took this great photo of Lieut. Howie Hurlburt, Jr. as Platoon 3 was picking up following a house fire on Hepburn Road in May 1991. Behind Howie is Ff. Ernie Braun.
Shirley took about a dozen other photos of this incident, which will be posted in the future.
Howie was on the job from July 1970 until he retired in the mid-1990s. He passed away in Arkansas last November at age 65.
Posted 8/22/14
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The practice of appointing "substitute firemen" began in the 1930s, perhaps earlier, and continued until the early 1960s. Subs could be called to fill in whenever there was a shortage of regular personnel in the days when there was no overtime hiring due to personnel shortages. Many of the substitutes went on to become regular members of the career department.
This brief article appeared in the November 23, 1950 edition of The Hamden Chronicle. The Hamden Board of Fire Commissioners had just appointed fourteen substitutes, six of whom went on to become members of the career department. These included Michael "Mickey" Cantarella (1951-69), Joseph T. Collins (1951-57), Joseph McDermott (1953-1991), Frederick Knudsen (1951-86), Fiore "Frank" Cubbellotti (1951-1979), and John O'Hare (1953-1991).
A familiar HFD surname can be seen among this list of subs. Daniel C. Mordecai was the uncle of retired Lieutenants Jack and Bob Mordecai, great-uncle of active Firefighter Mike Mordecai. Bob Mordecai was not aware that his uncle had ever been a fire department substitute. He noted that his uncle pursued a career with the postal department as a mail carrier. Sadly, Daniel Mordecai died very young, in 1954.
Posted 8/22/14
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The Dextone Company
1335 Dixwell Avenue
Thursday, August 25, 1932
82 years ago this week a massive fire struck the Dextone Cement Comany, located at 1335 Dixwell Avenue. The blaze, of unknown origin, resulted in an estimated $150,000 in damages (over $2.5 million in today's dollars). The business was located on the east side of Dixwell Avenue, between Newton and Collins Streets.
The fire was apparently first noticed by personnel at the Acme Wire Company, located just south of Dextone, because they began sounding their factory whistle. This caught the attention of two Dextone night watchmen who investigated and found the rear of their building already well involved.
At 10:45 p.m. someone pulled Box 47 at the corner of Dixwell and Putnam. According to the HFD logbook of responses (1931-40), seventy-nine members of seven volunteer fire companies responded. All fire apparatus cleared by 4:30 the following morning. Several firefighter injuries were reported, one requiring hospitalization.
An August 28, 1952 Hamden Chronicle article commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Dextone blaze (see below) provides additional details of that conflagration, as well as other notable Hamden fires of the first half of the 20th century.
Posted 8/22/14
CLICK ON ARTICLE BELOW TO ENLARGE FOR EASIER READING
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| CLICK to enlarge for easier reading (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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| Entry in the Hamden Fire Department Response Logbook - August 1932 (CLICK to enlarge) |
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NOTE: To maintain the accuracy of historical information for future researchers, the above image of the 1952 Chronicle article has been modified to correct several factual errors.
Furthermore, in the article's second paragraph, the dollar loss in a July 1923 fire in a smelting plant off State Street was cited as $250,000, Hamden's worst dollar loss in a fire. However, a 1934 account of Hamden's worst fires (image below), authored by three prominent Hamden fire officials, gave the estimated loss in the 1923 fire as $25,000.
More research is needed, of course, but if the $25,000 loss amount for the 1923 fire is correct, then the Dextone fire loss of $160,500 ($2,560,000.00+ in today's dollars) is, in fact, the heaviest financial loss in any Hamden fire to date.
Added 8/25/14
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| From the June 10, 1934 program for the Second Annual Hamden Firemen's Memorial Service |
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| 1337 Dixwell Avenue today (Vision Appraisal) |
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| 1934 - Site of Dextone Co. two years after the fire (CLICK to enlarge) - From the State of Connecticut Digital Collection |
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