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July 2021
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US and Connecticut flags will be lowered to HALF STAFF from sunrise to sunset
tomorrow, December 7, 2016, in recognition of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
This week's update will be posted tomorrow
to commemorate Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
Posted 12/6/16
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Our next regular update will be two days early, December 7th,
to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
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Guardian Services Honored
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| Make-shift banner from local nursery school with a timeless and well appreciated message |
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As concern has risen with the increase in violent acts against police officers, Hamden citizen, Arts Commission and Elks member Nancy Torello wanted to show support and say "thank-you" to those who have given so much in service to our community.
In the foyer of Hamden Healthcare where she has worked for many years, organizer of Hamden's first Police and Firefighter Appreciation Day, Nancy Torello, was busy preparing eight gift baskets for Hamden's fire stations and staff last Wednesday morning.
Nancy had an epiphany last summer when she awoke to the news of two more police officers ambushed in vicious attack, this time in Baton Rouge. Ten days earlier it was five Dallas police officers killed in an ambush. Nancy felt compelled to do something, anything, to have our community show its support to our guardian services. She wrote, "Our police and firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us from harm's way."
Nancy thought that the Thanksgiving season would be the perfect time of year to express thanks and show gratitude, not only for what we have but also our first responders. In the spirit of the holiday, Nancy organized what has turned into a very special and impressive community effort this past Wednesday.
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Nancy approached local businesses and organizations with her idea. The response was universally positive. "What can we do?"
Those businesses and organizations that contributed, either with goods or with services, include Hamden Health Care, Hamden Town House, Bread and Chocolate, Corner Deli, TD Bank, KinderCare Nursery School, Subway at Hamden Plaza, Quinnipiac University, Stop & Shop and Shop-Rite.
Fellow employees of Hamden Health Care did an ourstanding job helping Nancy put together the baskets for the fire department.
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| Asst. Supt. Glen Tricarico, HFRA Pres. Bob Mordecai, Nancy and Supt. Jim LaFond |
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With the assistance of Chief Berardesca, Supt. Jim LaFond and Asst. Supt. Glen Tricarico, Hamden Fire Retirees Association president Bob Mordecai helped to arrange pick-up of the baskets from Hamden Health Care. Then it was on to Subway at the Plaza, where the Shop guys made another pick-up.
Eager to pitch in with Appreciation Day, the folks at Subway at the Hamden Plaza eagerly donated a six-foor long sub for the Chief's Office and the rest of the fire department staff personnel.
Next stop was Hamden's town hall, where a crowd of about seventy gathered to honor Hamden's police and firefighters. The crowd would have been much larger were it not for the iffy weather forecast that predicted cool temps and heavy rain. Fortunately, mild temperatures and dry weather prevailed until the minute the ceremony ended shortly after noon. Then the rains came.
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| SUBWAY at the Plaza |
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| Tricarico, Tina & Julie Cosenza and LaFond |
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Having just finished building the massive sub in two three-foot halves, Sunway's Julie Cosenza and daughter Tina are pictured here with the Shop's LaFond and Tricarico, who delivered the food and goody baskets to Town Hall just in time for the 11:30 ceremony.
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Hamden Fire Department Chaplain, Rev. Owen Sanderson of Christ Lutheran Church, opened the ceremony with a prayer giving thanks to Hamden's police and firefighters and first responders everywhere for the protection they offer by going into harm's way for those whom they serve.
Town Clerk Vera Morrison addressed the crowd of about seventy, including numerous active and retired firefighters. Vera has nothing but the highest regard for Hamden's firefighters, who have been there for the Morrison family on several critical occasions.
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| Town Clerk Vera Morrison, Appreciation Day Organizer Nancy Torello, Hamden Fire Chief David Berardesca, Hamden Police Chief Thomas Wydra and HFD Chaplain Rev. Owen Sanderson |
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| Some of our members on the town hall steps with HFD Chaplain Rev. Owen "the Rev" Sanderson |
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| Chief Berardesca and Chief Wydra |
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| HFRA Honorary Member Jeanine Aceto |
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| HFRA member Greg Pereira is shown here flanked by Inspector Ralph DiFonzo and Dep. Marshal Tim Lunn |
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| J9 and TD |
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The members of the Hamden Fire Retirees Association are grateful to Hamden's Nancy Torello for her outstanding efforts to rally her fellow citizens to recognize and appreciate the personnel of the Hamden Police and Fire Departments and the work they do. Thank you, Nancy!
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"Our" Vera's Namesake in the Fire Service
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| From Fire Engineering, November 2016 |
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| Hamden's Vera Morrison |
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One of HFD's biggest fans is Hamden Town Clerk Vera Morrison. So when we saw this ad in the current issue of Fire Engineering, it was natural that we congratulate "our Vera" for having a distinguished and accomplished namesake in the fire service.
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Spark Time
Here's another of Chan Brainard's photos of the 1954 Connecticut State Firemen's Association Convention parades in West Haven. This handsome and fairly new open-cab Maxim pumper was the pride of Thomaston that year.
Posted 12/2/16
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| August 21, 1954 photo by Chan Brainard |
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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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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, December 16th.
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75 Years Ago!
U.S. Attacked
Hamden Fire Department Prepares for the Worst
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| The New Haven Sunday Register "EXTRA" published the evening of Sunday December 7, 1941. CLICK to enlarge |
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| WWII War Bond Poster (Image courtesy of Chick Manware) |
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Seventy-five years ago, on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor triggered America's entry into World War II. In his address to Congress the following day, President Franklin Roosevelt asserted that we would "gain the inevitable triumph." Three years and eight months later we did.
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| Norman Rockwell's iconic "Freedom From Fear," one of the Four Freedoms that he illustrated during WWII |
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The country was unified after Pearl Harbor. In the first few days, tens of thousands of young men swarmed local recruiting stations to join in the fight. From the beginning until V-J day, Americans were focused on supporting our men in the armed forces and defending the U.S. homeland against a Juggernaut of vicious and determined enemies.
Still under the leadership of volunteer officers at the time of the attack, Hamden's paid and volunteer firefighters began preparing for the worst. The Red Cross provided first-aid courses. Training sessions were conducted to prepare firefighters for air raids and bombings. A call went out among the Hamden citizenry for "auxiliary firemen" to supplement the volunteer and paid manpower in the event of an air raid.
Some of Hamden's volunteer fire companies manned their stations each night well into 1942, making them immediately available to the paid forces in the event of an emergency. An excerpt from from Mt. Carmel's meeting minutes of March 12, 1942: "All volunteers for night services at the firehouse are to give their names to [volunteer] Capt. [Francis] Leddy, who will arrange groups of four with a given Lieut in charge of his shift."
The war led to the reorganization of the Hamden Fire Department under paid officers. In April 1942, the Board of Fire Commissioners conducted examinations to determine the department's new leadership.
As a result of examinations, Raymond C. Spencer was appointed as Hamden's first paid fire chief. The department's first paid company officers, Capt. Joseph Hromadka, Capt. Al Purce, Lieut. Everett Doherty and Lieut. Roland Ruwet, were promoted from the ranks of the paid firefighters. Line personnel now numbered two officers and ten firefighters on each of two platoons.
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| 1941 Diamond-T Ladder Truck |
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Most Hamdenites today are probably not aware that Winchester's powder farm on Putnam Avenue made Hamden a potential military target. Given the limitations of enemy aircraft at the time, however, sabotage was a far more plausible threat than an enemy air raid. Nonetheless, the potential existed and some Hamden residents near the powder farm feared enemy incendiary bomb attacks.
With essential wartime priorities going to larger communities and the military, the war put many orders for new fire apparatus on hold. But Hamden had placed its orders for a new ladder truck and pumper with the Wood Engineering Service of Topsfield, Massachusetts well before December 7th.
The new apparatus were delivered in early 1942. On February 11, a new 1941 Diamond-T city service ladder truck was placed in service at the Highwood station, replacing the 1926 Maxim ladder truck that was demolished when hit by a trolley car the previous year. Two months later, a new Diamond-T 600 GPM pumper was placed in service as Engine 1 at the Highwood station. The 1926 Maxim 500 GPM pumper that had been Engine 1 since new was transferred to the Merritt Street station to replace Co. 6's 1924 Stutz 350 GPM pumper.
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Later in 1942, Hamden acquired some unique additions to the department's firefighting inventory. Maxim manufactured something called a "Blitz Buggy," a gasoline powered 50 pump, mounted on a trailer, that could be either hand drawn or pulled by a motor vehicle. The Hamden Fire Department purchased two of these Maxim blitz buggies through the O.B. Maxwell Co. for $1,662 each.
Hamden's 1942 Town Report listed the blitz buggies as "Defense Equipment." Thus began a unique era in the history of the Hamden Fire Department. According to one newspaper article, one of the blitz buggies was "stationed in a garage in Spring Glen . . . under the direction of Calvin Shepard, captain of the newly-formed Spring Glen fire fighting unit." The other blitz buggy was assigned to "the Pine Rock section . . . under the supervision of Fire Marshal Charles P. Loller."
A November 1942 description of the Department written by Firefighter Al Molleur stated, "The Town has over 150 trained auxiliary firemen, and for emergency two Maxim 500-gallon Blitz Buggies have been purchased, one stationed at Spring Glen and one at Wilmont."
The Maxim blitz buggies, and the two auxiliary fire defense companies to which they were assigned, helped reinforce the firefighting capabilities of the Hamden Fire Department during the war. "The Department is very proud of its auxiliary firemen," wrote Molleur, "as these men will be of great service to the town in the case of an emergency."
The Spring Glen and Pine Rock area auxiliary fire companies eventually disbanded and the blitz buggies were moved to the Whitneyville and Mt. Carmel stations. Both units were still listed on a department inventory dated February 5, 1952. An added notation to that same inventory indicated that the blitz buggy housed at Whitneyville was traded in to the O.B. Maxwell Co. on July 16, 1952 as a partial payment on the 1952 Maxim 750 pumper. It is not known for certain what happened to the blitz buggy at Mt. Carmel, but it is believed to have been purchased by a local farm.
In Hamden's 1944 Annual Report, Chief Spencer wrote, "The Fire Department has operated very efficiently the past year despite the shortage of manpower, due to five members being in the armed forces." Those career department members on leave to serve during WWII were Joseph Hromadka, Stuart Keeler, V. Paul Leddy, James Strain and Emil Strain.
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| Bill Hines |
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With the reduction in the workweek from 84 to 67.1 hours in 1948, reduced further to 56 hours in 1951, the number of Hamden's career personnel grew significantly. In all, a total of fifty World War II veterans would be hired as career members of the Hamden Fire Department.
One U.S. Army veteran was the department's first new hiree after VJ Day. William Hines, who joined the department on September 20, 1945, was stationed at Schofield Barracks adjacent to Hickam Field on that December day in 1941.
Bill Hines was promoted to lieutenant in 1956 and was still on the job when he passed away from cancer in 1979. Those of us fortunate to have known Bill remember him as a great guy and fine officer with a tremendous sense of humor that was exceeded only by his knowledge of firefighting.
DGJ
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| CLICK here for the list of HFD WWII veterans |
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| New Haven Evening Register, April 7, 1942 |
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120 Years of Hamden Fire Service
Saturday, December 10, 2016 marks the 120th anniversary
of the founding of Hamden's first fire company.
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c. 1898 - Members of Highwood Hose Co. No. 1 outside their Alstrum Street quarters.
Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society
Identifications and notations provided by John Della Vechia, who donated this photo to the Hamden Historical Society: (L-R) - 1. Charles Pellert - 2. Sam Williams - 3. Doeppensmith - 4. George Madison (or maybe Joe Jackson) - 5. John Mautte - 6, 7, 8, unidentified - 9. Thomas O' Connell - 10. George Visel - 11. Paul Ert - 12. David Howe - 13. Robert O'Connell - 14 and 15 unidentified - 16. George Moore - 17. Charles Loller - 18. James Rogers - 19. Dennis Keeley - 20. Frank Butler - 21. Charles Groves.
"The Highwood Fire company was organized in 1896 in the old Bicycle Club on Alstrum Street, which was then known as West Prospect. Brick building in rear is the old Morse St. School built in early 1800s. Last classes around 1902. Also it was a four room school house with two wooden ells, one on each side of building."
Another notation with the photo, however, states, "The Highwood Fire Department was organized in December 1896, with its quarters on Alstrum Street beside the Highwood School." (Photo courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society)
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This article from the September 27, 1946 edition of The Hamden Chronicle was published in anticipation of the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the Highwood Volunteer Fire Association.
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| Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society |
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c. 1900 - Highwood Co. 1 members assembled beside the New Lebanon Mission.
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| Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society |
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The New Lebanon Mission at 375 Morse Street, pictured here in 1957, was the Highwood
company's second quarters. It was torn down in 1975.
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1913 - Members of the Highwood Volunteer Fire Association in front of their new quarters at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Morse Street. Built in 1909, the building still stands today. L-R: Larry Cashman, Stanley Mautte, Frank McMullen, George Yardley, Ike Recour, Art Norman, Olie Ryan, Roland Ruwet, Jules Norman and Frank Whiteman. (Photo courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society)
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| Highwood Co. 1 with their new 1918 Stewart chemical truck (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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Volunteers from Highwood pose with their brand new Stewart chemical truck, delivered in February 1918 at a cost of $1,800. It remained in service at the Highwood station until March 1926, when a new Maxim 500 GPM pumper was delivered. The 1918 Stewart chemical was then assigned to the Mix District Volunteer Fire Co. 7, where it remained until delivery of their new 1935 Dodge Bros. truck.
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1942 - Hamden's brand new 1941 Diamond-T city service ladder truck in front of Station 1.
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| Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society |
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The Highwood volunteers built their permanent quarters at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Morse Street in 1909. This Hamden Chronicle photo was taken right after the station closed in October 1951. The building still stands today.
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Honorary Member Rita Harrington
We regret to announce the passing on December 7th of HFRA Honorary Member Rita Florence Harrington, widow of our deceased brother Dep. Chief Kenneth Harrington, who served with the Hamden Fire Department from 1949 until his retirement in 1981. Chief Harrington passed away in 1988.
Funeral was from Beecher & Bennett, 2300 Whitney Avenue, Saturday morning December 10th at 9:30. A Mass of Christian Burial as Celebrated in Blessed Sacrament Church at 10 a.m. Interment was in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Rita's family.
Revised 12/10/16
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"Godspeed, John Glenn"
(July 18, 1921 - December 8, 2016)
Freedom 7 - 1962
Discovery - 1998
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| Commemorative stamp issued February 20, 1962 |
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To our brothers and sisters who continue to
serve in the Fire, Police and EMS services in
Hamden and elsewhere, the members of the
Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc.
wish you and yours a very
Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year 2017.
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2016
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, January 6th.
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| Firefighter Walter Vining |
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Firefighter Walter R. Vining
(1939 - 2016)
We deeply regret to announce the passing on December 24, 2016 of former Hamden Firefighter Walter R. Vining of Wallingford, formerly of Hamden. Walt is survived by his wife, Barbara, six children, fifteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Walt joined the Hamden Fire Department in August 1966, and was assigned to Platoon 1. With the 42-hour workweek, he was assigned to Platoon 2 at Station 3. He left the department in 1971 for the private sector.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Walter's family at this sad time.
Posted 12/28/16
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To All of Our Website Visitors:
Commencing immediately, access to all HFRA website pages will be open only to HFRA members in good standing, including all Honorary Members.
We continue to welcome our non-member visitors, who will continue to have access to all future current Friday HOME page updates, as well as the four previous weekly updates. Several other tabs on the top menu will also continue to be available to non-members.
HFRA members' current personalized user names and passwords will still open any password-protected page, but a new common user name and password has been created and sent to all members in good standing and all Honorary Members. Once a password-protected page is unlocked, all protected pages will remain unlocked for that visit.
Eligible prospective HFRA members - any retired or former career member of the HFD - may receive access to all pages by remitting the current $15.00 dues fee for 2017.
The HFRA welcomes non-members who wish to have access to the archives of this website, which includes all password-protected pages except the "Member Only" pages. Monthly and annual access fees for non-members will be established at the upcoming meeting of the HFRA and will be announced here.
Revised 12/31/16
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Two two-baggers in as many days. This was the first . . .
Empire Kitchens
1188 Dixwell Avenue
Thursday, December 30, 1965
According to newspaper accounts, a gas heater in the third floor apartment sparked this two-alarm fire on the second to last day of 1965. The third floor occupant went to turn on the heater shortly after 7 p.m., found it enveloped in flames and fled the building. Fortunately, the second floor apartment occupants were away. The first floor housed Empire Kitchens, Inc., which suffered extensive water and smoke damage.
Responding on the first alarm were Engine 2, Engine 3, Ladder 1, Rescue 1 and Car 30 (Dep. Chief Joe Hromadka). Chief V. Paul Leddy reported that flames were coming through the roof when the first apparatus arrived from Station 2, only a short distance away.
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| Firefighter Stanley Brown, on the turntable with a hose line, was later injured by flying glass. |
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The fire went immediately to a second alarm, which brought Engine 6, Engine 4, Rescue 2, and Car 40 (Chief Leddy). Engine 5, with Ffs. Bucky Serafino, Gerry Wolf and Co. 5 volunteers covered in at Station 4. Volunteer Cos. 7 and 8 covered Station 2. Volunteer Co. 9 covered Station 5. The fire was brought under control in about an hour. Today, it is illegal to have a gas or kerosene space heater in a multiple family occupancy.
From the New Haven Register, "Two firefighters were injured fighting the blaze. Lt. Joseph McDermott fell throuygh the third floor to the second floor and was being xrayed at the Hospital of St. Raphael late Thursday night. Fireman Stanley Brown was treated at the scene for cuts from flying glass."
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. . . and this was the second.
Firefighters Rescue Mother & Child
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39 Ives Street
December 31, 1965
A fire believed to have started in a bedroom gutted the interior of this two-family house at 39 Ives on the last day of 1965. The 8:50 a.m. first alarm brought Engine 5, Engine 4, Rescue 2, Ladder 2 and Car 30 (Dep. Chief James Strain). The second alarm brought Engine 3, Engine 2, Rescue 1 and Car 40 (Chief Leddy). The fire was brought under control about 10 and firefighters remained on the scene until after 3 p.m.
According to the newspaper account, a mother and her young son were rescued from a low-hanging second story roof. It appears from the account that once the aerial ladder was raised, Deputy Chief James Strain went up the ladder to guide them safely down. Ironically, Deputy Chief James Strain once owned the house. The damage was such that the house had to be razed.
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| The New Haven Register, January 1, 1966 (Brainard Collection) |
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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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