We are in the process of archiving all weekly updates by the month. All of the weekly updates for this month are on this page.
Just scroll down to locate the desired update.
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, NOVEMBER 7, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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30 Years Ago
Department reorganization progressed with the promotion of seven new company officers
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"Unity of command" and "span of control" were oft repeated phrases as Chief John Tramontano made his case for an increase in the number of company officers to Hamden's politicians during his first few months as chief. At the beginning of 1984, the number of officers on each platoon had remained unchanged for over twenty years. The number of firefighters had increased significantly, of course, but the number of company officers had remained static - one captain and two lieutenants per shift.
The dramatic increase in the number of firefighters since 1963 had reduced the ratio of company officers to firefighters to a mere 1:9, which made individual fire company unity of command and span of control problematic on the fireground. Stressing fireground safety as the primary factor, Tramontano prevailed. The Council funded four new lieutenant positions from existing firefighter positions in the 1984-85 budget.
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| November 2, 1984 - Lt. Howard Hurlburt, Jr., Lt. Dennis Baker, Lt. Robert Viglione, Chief John Tramontano, Asst. Chief Walter Macdowall, Lt. Robert Kelo, Lt. David Strawhince and Lt. Robert Mordecai |
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Another phase in the reorganization of the Hamden Fire Department following John Tramontano's appointment as fire chief began thirty years ago this past week with the promotions of seven veteran firefighters to the rank of lieutenant and some changes in apparatus assignments.
Promoted were Dennis Baker, John Calamo, Howard Hurlburt, Jr., Robert Kelo, Robert Mordecai, David Strawhince and Robert Viglione. Calamo is not pictured in the photo above, possibly because he was on-duty and responding on a call when the photo was taken in the Town Hall auditorium.
Three of the new officers replaced three lieutenants who had been promoted to captain during the previous two months. The other four filled new slots for one additional lieutenant on each platoon. It was the first time since 1963 that a new company officer had been added to each shift. Station 9 in West Woods would now have a company officer, leaving only Station 5 in Mt. Carmel station without an officer.
Also included in this phase of the reorganization was the transfer of Truck 1 from Station 5 to Station 9, where it would respond on all box assignments in the north end. On still alarms, the officer had the option of either having the truck respond with Engine 9 or having both truck personnel respond on Engine 9, leaving the truck out of service for the duration of the incident. This arrangement was phased out a year later when Truck 1 was taken out of service altogether and the number of Station 9 personnel reduced to the one officer and two firefighters.
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To say that the department was in "a state of flux" during this period would have been an understatement. It seemed that a new personnel roster was being issued just about every month because of retirements and promotions, as well as the need to fill some new positions.
Before the end of 1984, the new positions of Mechanic and Asst. Fire Marshal were created, to which Lt. Hurlburt and Lt. Robert Westervelt were respectively appointed. Firefighters Don LaBanca and Charlie Esposito were promoted to fill Hurlburt's and Westervelt's lieutenant vacancies on the line. Capt. Luke Tobin retired after 35 years of service and his vacancy on Platoon 1 was filled by Lt. Jim Leddy.
By the beginning of 1985 two new pumpers would go into service at Stations 2 and 4. Shortly thereafter, the 1973 Maxim Telesqurt and 1973 Maxim foam truck would be rebuilt by Pierce in Appleton, Wisconsin and returned to service as Engines 3 and 9.
One other sign of the new fire administration can be seen in the photo. Both chiefs were now wearing the traditional firefighter's round dress hat or "bell cap." By the end of 1984, the old eight-point dress and work hats were replaced by the bell caps. New baseball-type work hats were ordered for all line personnel, although officers had the option of wearing their dress caps with their work uniforms. The New Haven Fire Department followed suit in recent years under the leadership of recently-retired Chief Michael Grant.
Posted 11/7/14
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| November 6, 1984 (CLICK to enlarge) |
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Two Station 4 firefighters were assigned to Station 5 at
the discretion of the shift commander and Station 4 officer.
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| December 1, 1984 (CLICK to enlarge) |
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| Out with the old . . . |
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How and why the traditional round firefighter dress caps were
finally adopted by the HFD will be told in next week's Friday website update.
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| . . . in with the new |
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November 1999
Fifteen years ago, Shirley Mangler, the department's photographer for a number of years, shot these photos of firefighter hubby Harold and Ff. Kevin St. John as they practiced with Tower 1 outside Station 3 in the waning hours of daylight. The HFRA has a large number of Shirley's photos and is expect to receive more, which will be shared with website visitors in the coming weeks and months.
Posted 11/7/14
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August 1973 - Lt. Gil Spencer, Ff. Tom Mikolinski (sitting in the background) and the late Steven Blennhassett, a Co. 5 volunteer firefighter, are pictured in front of the Mt. Carmel Congregational Church at Whitney and Sherman (when Sherman exited onto Whitney between the church and the parish house). Gil was doing some aerial ladder training with the volunteers. (Ed Doiron photos)
Posted 11/7/14
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Spark Time
Chan Brainard sent this pre-delivery factory photo of Southington's 1959 Maxim Model F open-cab cab-forward pumper. Given that Hamden's '59 closed-cab cab-forward Model F pumper was among Maxim's first of that design, could Southington's '59 pumper be Maxim's first open-cab Model F? Anyone know?
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| Southington's 1959 Maxim cab-forward - Might this be Maxim's first open cab cab-forward? (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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| Benham and Bantz |
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| Retired Dep. Chief Clark Hurlburt and fellow retiree Bob Slater both wrote to opine that the firefighter at the dispatch desk in the 1960 photo posted last week is most likely Firefighter Raymond Bantz, who served on the department from 1956 until he left about ten years later for work in the private sector. One dissent came from Gil Spencer, who thinks the guy is Milner Benham. It is definitely not Wilbur Baker in a toupee.
Bantz and Benham both joined the department on December 18, 1956. Milner retired in December 1981 and is presently living in New Hampshire. Ray had been a volunteer firefighter at Co. 5 before joining the career department. He passed away in 1988.
Posted 11/7/14
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| c. 1960 |
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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| Supt. Don Buechele |
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| Two Veteran Department Members Retiring
After more than 60 years total service to the Hamden Fire Department, Supt. of Apparatus Don Buechele and Fire Marshal Dennis Harrison will both say goodbye at the end of November, their retirements being approved at last Wednesday's meeting of the Hamden Retirement Board.
Supt. Buechele began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter in East Haven and was appointed to the HFD in February 1982, at which time he was assigned to Platoon 4 at Station 4. Don has served as the Department's Superintendent of Apparatus since 2006, when his predecessor, Harold Mangler, retired.
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| Marshal Dennis Harrison |
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Marshal Harrison began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter and officer in North Branford. He was appointed to the HFD as a Firefighter/Paramedic in February 1987. Dennis was promoted to lieutenant exactly ten years to the day later, and eight years later - same date - he was promoted to captain. Dennis was appointed as Hamden's sixth fulltime fire marshal in 2012.
The HFRA thanks Supt. Buechele and Marshal Harrison for their dedicated service to the HFD and the residents of the Town of Hamden and wish them both a long, happy and healthy retirement.
Posted 11/14/14
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Eastern Atlantic Lumber Company
Circular Avenue, corner of Gorham Avenue
November 11, 1957
Hamden fire personnel were kept very busy over the long Veterans Day weekend of 1957. The biggie was a general alarm fire that leveled much of the Eastern Atlantic Lumber Company, located at the corner of Circular and Gorham Avenues, where the Paier School of Art now stands. Years ago, the late Deputy Chief Ken Harrington related how he was sitting at the watch desk at Station 2 when a passer-by reported smoke coming from the lumber yard, located less than a block from the firehouse. The fire was later determined to be arson.
According to an article that appeared in The Suburban Spokesman (1957-58), a short-lived regional replacement for The Hamden Chronicle, news photographer Tom McCarthy hurried from his Malcolm Street home to get to the scene of the fire in order to rescue much of his equipment and business records stored in an adjacent building that was threatened by flames from the lumber yard blaze.
Mr. McCarthy reported flames shooting 75 feet in the air and counted at least nine fire engines. "I think there were even more," he added. It was Hamden's first general alarm blaze in several years. McCarthy went on to praise fire personnel, "They did a wonderful job in getting the fire under control, and later in the night they did a terrific job helping us clean up the debris and mess which had been created. I can't say enough in praise of the firemen."
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| New Haven Register, November 12, 1957 (Courtesy of Sid Trower) |
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The two aftermath photos below by I.A. Sneiderman are
from the HFRA collection. The houses in the background are on Helen Street.
This is now the site of the Paier School of Art.
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A Tale of Two Hats
"Hey! Was that a cop or a firemen?"
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| The "Eight-Pointer" and the "Bell Cap" |
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| A curious situation arose after fire department work uniforms changed from khaki to blue in late 1972. The public frequently mistook Hamden Fire Department personnel for police officers. The confusion is easily understood when you consider that Hamden cops and firefighters both wore blue uniforms with badges, and their hats looked almost the same. As a result, the police chief often forwarded thank-you notes to the fire chief from grateful citizens praising assistance provided by firefighters they thought were cops.
QUESTION: How can Hamden firefighters establish a "look" that will not confuse folks into thinking the firefighter is a cop (not that there's anything wrong with that)? One way might be to change the hat from one that looks like a "cop's" hat to something that looks more like a "fireman's" hat.
That's what many of us thought back in the 1970s. But nothing ever happened to change the status quo. No one tried to do anything about it - until 1976. That's when two rookies had the audacity to take the idea one step further. They circulated a petition. If a majority of the guys sign in favor of bell caps, they thought, then maybe the chief would consider the change.
In July 1976 the two rookies put together a roughly worded petition and hit all the firehouses. All four captains, eight lieutenants and 100 firefighters were polled. The fire marshal, training officer and four shift commanders were not included because they were "management" in those days.
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| The 1976 Petition (CLICK to enlarge) |
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When the canvassing of all the fire stations on all four shifts was done, an overwhelming 63% of all rank-and-file personnel favored dumping the eight pointers in favor of the bell caps. How could the chief refuse, they thought? (Isn't it amazing how idealism is directly proportional to naivety?)
Fast forward to 1984: Eight years later we were still wearing the eight-pointers. Thank-you notes from grateful citizens thanking the "policemen" for the emergency medical intervention were still being forwarded to the HFD from the HPD. The new fire chief was in the throes of reorganizing the department. The two erstwhile "rookies," now veterans, tried making the case once again for bell caps. As long as you are revamping the department, Chief, they reasoned, why not give our uniforms a "new look?" Let's go with the bell caps.
The new fire chief shook his head. He was not terribly enthusiastic. He told the two original petitioners that he'd "think about it." That's exactly what the former chief had told the same two guys eight years earlier when nearly two-thirds of the department favored the traditional round firefighter's dress hat. The two petitioners were disappointed. The issue was dead. Well, almost dead.
A few months later the original 1976 petitions were found buried in a file drawer. Lo and behold, while checking the names of those who signed in favor, guess whose signature appeared?
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After seeing his signature on the 1976 petition, Chief John Tramontano's jaw dropped. Then he chuckled and announced, "Okay guys, you got me."
The bell caps were introduced thirty years ago this month. We still have 'em. (Oh yes, and the HPD stopped receiving thank-you notes meant for our guys.)
Posted 11/14/14
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Fooling Around at the Firehouse? Never!
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March 1976 - The day shift is OVER! "Heyyyyy!" declared Augie Williams a la "Fonzie" as he approached his luxurious 1966 Plymouth. In the background, Ronnie Altieri headed for home in his 1967 Olds ragtop. Ronnie wasn't waiting around for the surprise he left for "the Aug" . . .
| Night shift guy Dick Carney photo bombed "the Aug" just as he discovered the surprise Ronnie left for him under his car door handle. Don't worry, Aug, it was only shaving cream - nothing compared to what Ronnie did to Charlie Carlson a few months earlier with Mark Pratt's lemon meringue pie.
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View of Whitney Avenue at Ives Street Mt. Carmel sometime between 1912 and 1925, from a postcard in the collection of Josephine Rosinganna. Two of the buildings in this photo still stand. The building on the far corner of Ives and Whitney dates from the 1870s and presently houses Mt. Carmel Wine and Spirits. An extension of the building on Ives Street, now gone, was the first quarters for the Mt. Carmel Volunteer Fire Company. The house just beyond the main building is now a bank located next to Station 5, which was built in 1925 and is not in this photo.
Fire hydrants came to Mt. Carmel in 1912, right after the formation of the fire company. One of them is pictured in front of the large wood frame building in the foreground, on the south side of Ives Street. The building housed "The Mt. Carmel Cash Store." It was torn down in the late 1940s and was replaced by a small strip of stores that later included the Mt. Carmel post office. That small complex was razed in the mid-1970s for the Route 40 Connector project.
Posted 11/14/14
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| VETERANS DAY 2014
REMEMBERING OUR HFD MEMBERS, PAST AND PRESENT,
WHO HAVE SERVED.
THANK YOU!
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"AMERICA'S BEST"
© 2014 - James Foley
Published by permission.
My son is a soldier..... America's Best!
Ribbons of honor attached to his chest.
His purpose is clear to defend our flag.
From radicals who use it as a dirty old rag.
My son is a soldier..... America's Best!
Fighting for freedom and stopping unrest.
These gallant soldiers are willing to die.
So that "OLD GLORY" will forever continue to fly.
My son is a soldier..... America's Best!
A penetrating bullet just passed through his vest.
Mortally wounded his final words he imparts
"Never give up" keep my words in your hearts.
My son is a soldier..... America's Best!
He never gave up..... He passed his test.
Honor is his, now, and forever.
This valiant soldier we will always treasure.
My son "WAS" a soldier..... America's Best.
He's now at home being laid to his rest.
His coffin is covered with the flag he defended.
MY SON, your service is over ----- your duties have ended.
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Written for Veterans Day 2014 by retired Hamden Police Officer James Foley, "for all of our military personnel currently serving, having served, and those who were maimed or killed in defense of our liberties and freedom."
Thanks, Jim.
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| 1982 - Rose Pacelli |
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| An old friend, Rose "Rosie" Pacelli, passed away this week. Many of us remember Rosie fondly from her many years as a Central Communications dispatcher. No one did the job better that Rosie, who started as a dispatcher with the Hamden Police Department and was among the first Central Communications dispatchers when it opened in November 1981. She was 74.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Rosie's family.
Revied 11/14/14
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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L-2687 is holding it's Annual Turkey Delivery on Tuesday, November 25th at Station 5 around 10 a.m. Donations would be greatly appreciated.
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Wishing all HFD active and retired personnel, and all of our website visitors,
a very safe and meaningful Thanksgiving 2014
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| c. 1980 - Ff. Dennis Baker with Engine 1 |
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50 Years Ago
Alert PW Guy Saved Hamden Taxpayers the Cost of a New Truck
November 23, 1964 - Reading the little blurb beneath the news photo below, you might get the impression that this truck fire occurred near the Quinnipiac College (now "University") campus in Mt. Carmel. Not so. The complete article below the photo blurb reveals that the truck actually caught fire near the old Quinnipiac College "campus," once located at the corner of Whitney Avenue and Servoss Street. Originally known as Larson College, the building is now an upscale assisted living residence called Larson Place.
Even though the news photo is a little murky, the company officer is clearly Luke Tobin, who had been promoted to lieutenant a few months earlier.
Posted 11/21/14
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| The New Haven Register, Tuesday, November 24, 1964 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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| Luke Tobin in 1964 |
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| The 1964 shift calendar indicates that "old" Platoon 1 was working the day of the fire. The guy with the white helmet shield in the above news photo looks like Lt. Luke Tobin, who was on old Platoon 1.
Luke Tobin came on the job in December 1949. He was promoted to lieutenant in early 1964, and to captain four years later when Bob "Bubby" O'Donnell was appointed Fire Marshal. Luke was part of the negotiating team that bargained for and won the 42-hour workweek. Luke Tobin retired 30 years ago next week and passed away in February 1993.
Posted 11/21/14
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Right before Thanksgiving, in almost every year from 1934 until 1974, the Hamden Fire Department held an annual firemen's ball. It was a grand occasion during which the men and their wives could enjoy a formal evening of dancing. The sale of tickets and "ad book" advertising also made money for the Hamden Paid Firemen's Sick Benefit Association. This week the website focuses on the 1961 Hamden Firemen's Ball.
The first step for the Ball Committee was to ask permission of the Fire Commission for the department members to solicit advertising and sell ball tickets door-to-door in their dress blues. Permission was always granted.
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| November 15, 1961 |
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| From the September 11, 1961 minutes of the Hamden Board of Fire Commissioners |
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Once the Ball Committee engaged a band and hall for the affair, tickets were printed for department members to sell door-to-door. Local businesses were solicited to buy ads in the ad book. Despite the fact that the ad book had a very limited circulation - basically just the ball attendees - buying an ad was a good investment. Ad books were kept and members were encouraged to patronize the businesses therein. After 53 years some of these businesses are still around.
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Thanks to Sid Trower's family and Chan Brainard, the website has some images of artifacts from the 1961 Annual Firemen's Ball.
CLICK ANY OF THESE IMAGES TO ENLARGE
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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| Actual ads from the 1961 Firemen's Ball Ad Book. What did these businesses have in common? (CLICK to enlarge) This ad page was recreated from the actual ads that appeared throughout the program. They did not appear on the same page. |
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| 252 local businesses purchased ads of various sizes in the 1961 ad book. Of these 252 businesses, fifteen still exist. Fifty-three years later, the website is pleased to acknowledge these fifteen survivors for their generous patronage in 1961.
Golden, O'Neill & Gebhardt, Inc. (Insurance)
Albert L. Porto Funeral Homes
Hamden Auto Parts
Venice Bakery
Eastern Fuel
Beecher and Bennett
Glenwood Drive-In
Hamden Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Mt. Carmel Package Store
(Mt. Carmel Wine & Spirits)
Brown Stone House
Peter Torello & Son Funeral Home
Arnold's Jewelers
French-Italian Imports
East Rock Package Store
Hamden Memorial Funeral Home
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At left is a sampler of some of the actual ads that appeared in the 1961 ad book. Do any of our web visitors know what these businesses had in common with each other? Answer next week.
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This ad page was recreated from the actual ads that appeared throughout the program.
They did not all appear on the same ad page in the original program.
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| November 12, 1968 - Firemen's Ball (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) |
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Spark Time
West Haven's Maxim Open Cab 75-foot Aerial Ladder Truck
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| West Haven's 1959 (or 1960) Maxim 75' Aerial Ladder (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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When we published the photo of Southington's 1959 Maxim open cab cab-forward pumper two weeks ago, we suggested that it might have been Maxim's first open cab version of that model. Website visitor and retired Allingtown firefighter Bob Martens wrote, "The Maxim salesman for this area must have had one hell of a year in 1959! I am almost certain that West Haven's Center District bought an open cab forward engine and 100' mid ship truck that year." Bob noted that there was a Maxim ad that stated that the West Haven truck was a 1960 model, "but I believe the apparatus was purchased the prior year." Thank you, Bob.
Well, thanks to our old friend Chan Brainard, here is what appears to be the pre-delivery factory photo of that West Haven Maxim open cab aerial truck - a 75-footer, actually. Does anyone out there know the model year for sure?
Posted 11/21/14
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2014
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Saying "Goodbye!"
Photos by G. Merwede and D. Johnson
Friday, November 28 - Dozens of active and retired department members turned out today at a reception in the Council Chambers of Memorial Town Hall to honor Supt. Don Buechele and Fire Marshal Dennis Harrison. Both will be officially reitred as of 5 o'clock this afternoon after more than 60 years total service to the Hamden Fire Department.
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| Supt. Don Buschele, Chief David Berardesca and Marshal Dennis Harrison |
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Supt. Buechele began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter in East Haven and was appointed to the HFD in February 1982, at which time he was assigned to Platoon 4 at Station 4. Don has served as the Department's Superintendent of Apparatus since 2006, when his predecessor, Harold Mangler, retired.
Marshal Harrison began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter and officer in North Branford. He was appointed to the HFD as a Firefighter/Paramedic in February 1987. Dennis was promoted to lieutenant exactly ten years to the day later, and eight years later - same date - he was promoted to captain. Dennis was appointed as Hamden's sixth fulltime fire marshal in 2012.
The HFRA thanks Supt. Buechele and Marshal Harrison for their dedicated service to the HFD and the residents of the Town of Hamden and wish them both a long, happy and healthy retirement.
Posted 11/28/14
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| Nov. 28, 2014 - Dep.Chief Gary Merwede got this great aerial view of today's reception for Don and Dennis in the Town Hall auditorium. Lots of familiar faces - old and new. |
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One of the many department members who stopped by at the Town Hall to bid farewell to Buechele and Harrison was Batt. Chief Bill Fitzmaurice. Bill and Dennis were among six recruits who joined the department in February 1987. The news photo (above left) was taken by Register reporter Ann DeMatteo when the six firefighters received their Fire Fighter I certifications in the same location as today's reception. In addition to Batt. Chief Fitzmaurice, Batt. Chief John Spencer and Capt. Ron Desroches are two other members of that class who are still active department members. The other two of the original six, former Chief Tim Sullivan and Ff./Paramedic Kevin O'Hare have been retired for several years.
Posted 11/28/14
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♫ "and now, the end is near . . ." ♪
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| Flanked by Ff. Seth Patrick and Capt. Jason Blyth, Dennis is treated to a mini-testimonial with only 80 minutes left on the clock before civilianhood sets in. |
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| The B/C attempts a farewell kiss. Could this have anything to do with Walt Macdowall's 1980s nickname for Dennis? Who knows? In any event, Dennis, we wish you well in the years ahead! |
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FIRESIDE RESTAURANT
3307 Whitney Avenue
Thanksgiving Day (and Night)
Thursday, November 23, 1967
The Fireside Restaurant lived up to its name on Thanksgiving Day 1967. Shortly after noontime, Capt. Don Steele of the Mt. Carmel Volunteer Fire Co. was driving south on Whitney Avenue in his '65 Dodge wagon. As he approached the "Big Y" (Yantic Beef Co.) just north of Sherman Avenue, he thought he saw smoke coming from the Fireside Restaurant right across the street. Don slowed down in front of the 150 year old wood frame building to take a closer look. He was right. It was smoke, and it wasn't coming from the chimney.
Luckily, Box 17 was mounted on a utility pole nearby on the corner of Whitney and Sherman. Don pulled the lever inside and transmitted the alarm to all Hamden fire stations, where every gong and Gamewell tape register tapped out one strike followed by seven strikes - four times. The first alarm companies listed for Box 17 were Engine 5, Engine 4, Rescue 2, Ladder 1 and Car 30.
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| Ff. Dave Howe |
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Station 5 was less than a mile away. Engine 5, driven by Firefighter Dave Howe, arrived in less than four minutes. Senior man Firefighter Fred Fletcher transmitted "10-8" for a working fire. It was going to be another busy holiday for Hamden firefighters.
A working fire in that part of Hamden also brought out Co. 5 and Co. 9 volunteers, who were toned out right away. Co. 5's volunteers responded from their homes. Their apparatus was Co. 5's "paid" engine, already on scene. Co. 9 volunteers responded with their apparatus, Engine 59, the 1942 Diamond-T. ("Paid" Engine 9 was still more than a year off.) Car 53, the 1952 Dodge utility truck, responded from the Shop on special call.
Don later made the following entry in his notebook, "11/23 - 12:30 ± - Fireside Restaurant Whitney Avenue. Tone sounded when [Fred] Fletcher, [Dave] Howe and I were laying a line after I pulled the box! 9 [Co. 5 volunteers] responded: Steele, Steele, Pedersen, Pedersen, Spencer, Johnson, Dougan, Hurlburt (Sr), and Clemons. Caught it just in time. Tim and I were late for Thanksgiving Dinner!" The two Steeles were Don and his son, Tim. The two Pedersen's were Find and his brother Anders.
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Firefighters responded to the site nearly fourteen hours later for a blaze that did even more damage to the building. The cause of the second fire was not believed to be a rekindle of the earlier fire, but a new blaze of suspicious origin.
Don's follow-up notation: "11/24/67 - 1:20 AM - Almost exact ditto of above except someone else pulled the box - and a lot more fire." The early morning rekindle was seen as suspcious.
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| © The New Haven Register - Friday, November 24, 1967 (Article provided by Gilbert Spencer) |
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From Historic Hamden (Hamden Historical Society: 1976), "This was originally a one and one-half story house with five rooms and three fireplaces. In the 1820's it was moved from the route of the Farmington Canal and relocated across Whitney Avenue. It was then made into a two-story house."
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| Suspicious rekindle in the early morning hours of Friday, November 24, 1967 - Ventilating the roof - CLICK to enlarge (John Mongillo, Jr.) |
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| This is an aerial view of what the vicinity of Whitney and Sherman looked like at the time of the fire. Totally reconfigured in the early 1980s, the only buildings still standing today are the church, parish house, the Fireside Restaurant building and the white building just south of it. "X" marks where Sherman Avenue now exits to Whitney. (CLICK to enlarge) |
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| Nov. 2014 - "The Fireside" is Andale's Mexican Restaurant. The large addition to the rear was added since 1967. |
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Original article posted 11/24/09
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Hamden Fire Department
Apparatus Inventory
November 1967
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
Rescue 2 - 1960 International Travel-all
Car 30 - Dep. Chief - 1966 Ford Station Wagon
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
Car 41 - Marshal - 1961 Ford Sedan
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Leonard Pipe
375 Mather Street
Wednesday, November 28, 1973
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Spark Time
Year Clarified
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| Delivered in 1960 |
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| Website thanks to West Haven retirees Bob Freeman and John Patry for clarifying the date of the Maxim aerial ladder truck posted last week. According to John, the truck was delivered in 1960, but ordered in 1959. According to its order number, 4160, it appears that the order for the aerial truck was placed well before 1959 was over.
Hamden's 1959 cab-forward was Maxim’s order number 4047. Southington's 1959 open-cab pumper, posted here on November 7th, was order number 4281. However, that does not mean that Maxim manufactured 234 pieces of apparatus between the Hamden and Southington orders. It just means that 234 orders were placed for Maxim products, some of which could have been for a simple nut, bolt or chrome strip, each having its own order number.
West Haven's 1960 aerial truck was order number 4160 was right between the Hamden and Southington 1959 pumpers. This suggests that the West Haven aerial truck was, indeed, ordered in 1959.
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