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, MAY 6, 2016
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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70 Years Ago!
May 8, 1946
Blaze Heavily Damages Himmel Bros. Building
1409 Dixwell Avenue
The Himmel Brothers Co. specialized in the manufacture of steel store fronts. Late on Wednesday evening, May 8, 1946, Hamden firefighters responded to a structure fire at the company's classic Art Deco building at 1409 Dixwell Avenue. The incident went to two alarms. According to the article below, the fire got started in the drafting room and was confined to the office area of the building. Engines 1, 2 and 3, the ladder truck and rescue squad responded.
One of the most striking features of this building, completed in 1938, were two massive stainless steel front doors.
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| New Haven Evening Register, Thursday, May 9, 1946 |
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| Himmel Brothers Building - May 1946 and May 2016 |
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According to their 1946 catalog, "for over 30 years Himmel Brothers Co. have specialized entirely in the development and manufacture of store front constructions."
Himmel Brothers eventually merged with H.A. Leeds on Leeder Hill Drive. The original Dixwell Avenue building has deteriorated since it was vacated over ten years ago. It is now boarded up and has no roof. Sad.
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Today the Himmel building is roofless. Sky can been seen above the plywood that now
covers the opening where two massive stainless steel double doors once hung. The steel doors can be seen in the photo below, courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society.
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Hamden Parade Launched 200th Anniversary
Celebration 30 Years Ago This Week
Hamden's Bicentennial Celebration started with a Sunday, May 11, 1986 parade that included an HFD marching contingent and some the department's newer apparatus. The Bicentennial Parade, which took the place of the traditional Memorial Day Parade that year, began near Skiff Street and ended at the Miller Library. It was the first Hamden parade on Whitney Avenue since the early 1950s.
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| Three-quarters of the Color Guard - Lieutenant Howie Hurlburt, Jr., Firefighter Jim Moore and Firefighter Paul Reutenauer |
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| Completing the Color Guard was Lieutenant Dave Strawhince at the far right. |
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| Turning the corner from Whitney to Dixwell. (Photo by Denise) |
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Hamden's Bicentennial Parade
Sunday, May 11, 1986
In May 1986, Storer Cable TV videotaped Hamden's Bicentennial Parade, which was broadcast on the company's local access station. A four minute excerpt of the video, featuring the Hamden Fire Department marching unit and apparatus, is now on YouTube. Also included are the Mix District Volunteer Fire Co. marching unit and its vintage fire apparatus.
Originally posted 8/19/11
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| CLICK on photo to view video |
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| Getting ready, Firefighters Jimmy Moore and Paul Reutenauer. Platoon 3 all the way! |
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Hamden celebrated its "Sesquicentennial" fifty years earlier with a huge townwide celebration that, of course, included a parade. Check this out . . .
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| Sesquicentennial Parade - June 16, 1936 |
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80-Year-Old Hamden Parade Film Coming Soon
June 16, 2016 marks the 80th anniversary of Hamden's 150th Anniverary (Sesquicentennial) Parade. The Hamden Historical Society recently discovered in its archives two 100' reels of 16mm home movies of the 1936 parade. The films, one color and the other black-and-white, were shot by Dr. Walter S. Lay, Hamden's medical examiner at the time of the event.
The line of march proceeded north on Whitney from just south of Dixwell, turned into James Street and concluded at Legion Field. The Hamden Fire Department marching contingent included Chief Loller, his three assistant chiefs and fourteen paid drivers. Marching right behind the career members was the Highwood Volunteer Fire Association with its original 1896 hose cart displayed on a flatbed truck.
Dr. Lay's film has been digitzed and edited into an eight-minute DVD. Thanks to Rachel Hartley's book, A History of Hamden, Connecticut (1943), all of the parade units seen in the film are identified. The film, which is peppered here and there with bits of local historical info, concludes with excerpts from athletic competition at Legion Field among various age groups of boys and girls.
In conjunction with this year's 230th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Hamden, the Hamden Historical Society's DVD, "Hamden's Sesquicentennial Parade & Field Day," will be available on YouTube starting June 16th, the 80th anniversary of the parade. Stay tuned!
Posted 5/6/16
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Posterity Project
Platoon 1 - Station 5
A website celebration of today's future HFD retirees.
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L-R: Lieutenant Jeff Pechmann, Firefighter Jaime Bonet and Firefighter Jason Davis.
Posted 5/6/16
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Multi-agency Rescue Exercise This Week at Sleeping Giant
[The website thanks the Fire Chief's Office and Dep. Chief Gary Merwede for providing this article and photos.)
On Wednesday May 4th the Hamden Fire Department participated in a multi-agency training session organized by the Yale New Haven Sponsor Hospital Program. The event was held at Sleeping Giant State Park in the historic quarry area to simulate a remote scene mass casualty incident.
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| Quarry at Sleeping Giant State Park - For decades the scene of many mountain rescues |
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Dr. Sandy Bogucki, MD, PhD, from the Yale University School of Emergency Medicine and the EMS Medical Director for the Sponsor Hospital program described the training as “designed to teach Emergency Medicine residents from Yale New Haven Hospital the basics of search and rescue and scene management at multiple casualty incidents.
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The simulated scenario was staged at the quarry site on the grounds of Sleeping Giant State Park. With the assistance of personnel and equipment from the three response agencies, the physicians, who are training to practice Emergency Medicine in hospital ERs, used only what was available in the austere environment to triage, rescue, treat, and transport the simulated victims. They also experienced the challenges of setting up a command structure, requesting additional assets, including specialized equipment needed for managing such incidents in remote locations.
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The Hamden Fire Department responds regularly to the state park for emergency calls, ranging from traumatic injury, medical events, and technical rescue to locating lost hikers. The HFD supplied manpower and equipment for the drill and worked in cooperation with personnel and equipment from the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company and American Medical Response.
Photos supplied are courtesy of Dr. Bogucki.
Posted 5/6/16
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Honorary Member Mary Lane
We regret to announce the passing on May 1st of HFRA Honorary Member Mary Lane, who was longtime friend and companion of our deceased brother Firefighter Joseph Shields, who served with the Hamden Fire Department from 1959 until his retirement in 1980. Joe passed away in 2008. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in St. Rita’s Church on May 6th. Burial was in St. Lawrence Cemetery.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lane and Shields families.
Posted 5/6/16
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DO YOU HAVE A FLASHLIGHT APP ON YOUR iPhone?
We received this from a website friend.
If you have an iPhone, you need to see this:
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016
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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What's the connection between the firefighters in this photo and the Hamden Fire Department?
(The answer further down)
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Parkway Tragedy 50 Years Ago
Friday, May 13, 1966
DUI driver kills 3 Sacred Heart seniors; badly injures 2
Possibly Hamden's Worst Ever Traffic Accident
Fifty years ago, Friday the thirteenth of May 1966, Hamden firefighters responded to a horrific head-on collision in the southbound lane of the Wilbur Cross Parkway, about one mile from the West Rock Tunnel.
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| May 14, 1966 - New Haven Register & Journal-Courier Saturday Special - Courtesy of Gil Spencer (Text condensed) |
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| Engine 4 in 1966 was the '65 Mack |
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What was to have been a fun Friday night outing for five Sacred Heart Academy seniors turned into a deadly nightmare because of a drunk driver. The five girls were headed south on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in a red 1963 Chevy. Traveling in the northbound lane in her white 1965 Ford convertible was a woman who, according to published news accounts, had just left a Whalley Avenue restaurant with a blood alcohol level of 0.18%.
Nearing the Wintergreen Avenue overpass, the northbound '65 Ford ragtop crossed the median divider at a high rate of speed, slamming head-on into the red '63 Chevy. Three girls in the Chevy were killed instantly and two others were severely injured.
Parkway traffic jam requires NHFD mutual aid
Hamden's Engine 4 and Rescue 2 responded out of Headquarters (Station 4). The accident had halted all southbound parkway traffic, which slowed Engine 4's response considerably. Hamden requested an engine from New Haven, which promptly dispatched Engine 15 out of the Fountain Street station.
The driver of Rescue 2, which was basically a small International-Harvester panel truck, drove along the median to get to the scene. New Haven's Engine 15 responded via the northbound parkway on-ramp just south of the tunnel, arriving on scene well before Engine 4.
Deadly crash spurs change in Connecticut's controlled access highways
Area residents had already given that stretch of the highway the dubious nickname "Death Strip." Incredibly, this accident was preceeded by seven other fatal auto accidents in that area of Route 15, all within less than three years (see article below).
Hamden Mayor John DeNicola, Sr. wired Connecticut Governor John N. Dempsey, urging the state to finally install median guard rails along the six miles of the parkway that runs through the Town of Hamden. The Governor got the funds appropriated within a few days and the guard rails were up within months. Guard rails are now on all medians of Connecticut's controlled access highways.
The two surviving girls recovered. In October 1966, the drunk driver was found guilty on three counts of "misconduct with a motor vehicle" and spent a year in jail.
Hamden's infamous Wilbur Cross Parkway car crash of Friday, May 13, 1966, which took the lives of three seventeen year-old girls and badly injured two others, remains one of the worst, if not the worst Hamden traffic accident on record.
Posted 5/13/16
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| New Haven Register, Sunday, May 15, 1966 (original text has been condensed) |
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Below: Hamden's Rescue 2 and New Haven's Engine 15 form the backdrop
for the only recognizable feature of the 1963 Chevy - the front bumper.
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| New Haven Register & Journal-Courier Saturday Special, May 14, 1966 |
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HFRA member and retired Batt. Chief Gil Spencer vividly recalls the tragedy. "It's burned into my memory!" Gil was with Lieut. Bill Hines' crew at Headquarters. Although unsure if he was on the rescue or the engine that night, Gil recalled that the driver of Engine 4, the '65 Mack, would have been Firefighter Johnny Hoffman. The other members of Lieut. Hines' crew were Firefighters Paul Reutenauer and Milner Benham.
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Tragedy gives rise to a long association with HFD
As fire and ambulance personnel were working to free the dead and injured from the wreckage, a man in a clerical collar approached the scene on foot. The man was apparently among the scores of motorists who were stranded that night in the southbound lane of the Wilbur Cross Parkway.
When he located incident commander Deputy Chief Everett Doherty, the man-of-the-cloth requested that a tarp be raised around the remains of the Chevy to prevent some of the more curious by-standers from viewing the carnage.
The man-of-the-cloth of course was Rev. Owen Sanderson of Hamden's recently organized Christ Lutheran Church. This was "the Rev's" first encounter with the Hamden Fire Department, which would eventually lead to a very long and meaningful relationship with the department and its members of all faiths that endures to this day.
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Residents of the Wintergreen Avenue area, fed up with the state's inaction regarding guard rails along the parkway's "Death Strip," met the weekend following the tragedy. They wrote letters to press federal, state and local officials to use funds previously allocated for Wintergreen Avenue parkway on-off ramps to pay for the guard rails. The Wintergreen Avenue on-off ramps never happened - but the guard rails did.
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| The New Haven Register, Tuesday, May 17, 1966 |
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The Barn Door Gets Locked (Finally)
After eight fatal accidents in less than three years and many pleas by Hamden residents of the Wintergren Avenue neighborhood, the state finally came though with guard rails.
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| New Haven Register, May 18, 1966 |
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| Parkway photo from "Route 15: The Road to Hartford" by Larry Larned (Arcadia Printing, 2002) - CLICK to enlarge |
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Within a week following the May 13th Hamden crash, Governor Dempsey ordered the installation of guard rails along the parkway median through the Town of Hamden. By the end of the decade, guard rails had been erected along all medians of Connecticut's controlled access highways.
The above 1950's photo, looking south from the West Rock Tunnel, shows just how vulnerable oncoming cars were to head-on collisions before median guard rails were finally erected.
Posted 5/13/16
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Hamden Fire Department
May 1966
Personnel
Chief V. Paul Leddy - Fire Marshal Albert Purce - Dep. Chief/Training Officer Daniel Hume
Supt. of Alarms and Apparatus Clement Wetmore, Asst. Supt. Richard Lostritto
Pl. 1 - Dep. Chief Jospeh Hromadka, Capt. Francis Leddy, Lt. Joseph McDermott, Lt. Luke Tobin, 20 Firefighters
Pl. 2 - Dep. Chief Everett Doherty, Capt. Robert O'Donnell, Lt. William Hines, Lt. Daniel O'Connell, 21 Firefighters
Pl. 3 - Dep. Chief James Strain, Capt. Paul Rosadina, Lt. George Reutenauer, Lt. Ken Harrington, 21 Firefighters
Stations and Apparatus
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-al
Station 4 (Headquarters)
Engine 4 – 1965 Mack 750 g.p.m. pumper
Rescue 2 - 1960 International Travel-al
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 (Fire Marshal) - 1962 Rambler
Car 51 (D/C Training Off.) - 1961 Ford Fairlane sedan
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Hamden High Fire in Nursery Area Extinguished Quickly
Orderly Evacuation - One Minor Injury
Friday, May 13 - The Hamden Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at Hamden High School at 7:41 this morning. While en-route, responding units received an update through Central Communications that the Hamden Police Department Resource Officer [SRO] assigned to the school reported an active fire in the first floor nursery-daycare room in the south end of the building.
The Hamden High School administration and staff had already started an orderly evacuation of all students, assisted by both HHS security and Hamden Police Officers. No students were injured.
The evacuation was taking place as the first HFD apparatus arrived on scene. The entire student body was relocated to the football stadium away from fire department activity. A teacher attempting to open a heavy window to clear smoke during the evacuation received a hand injury, but refused ambulance transport.
The HFD arrived at 7:46 and found a fire being held in check by an activated sprinkler head in the nursery. At 7:53 the fire was declared under control with limited extension. Water damage from the activated sprinkler and fire department suppression was limited only to the room of origin and the adjacent hallway.
The structure was ventilated to remove smoke and other products of combustion. HFD personnel metered the entire school to ensure the safety of the atmosphere. The school was released back to the HHS administration at 8:55 and students were allowed back to class.
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[The website thanks the Fire Chief's Office and Dep. Chief Gary Merwede for providing this article and photo.)
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Posted 5/13/16
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Posterity Project
Platoon 3 - Station 2
A website celebration of today's future HFD retirees.
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Left to right: Lieut. Mike Dowling, Ff. Shane Schaffer, Ff. Brett Rinehart,
Ff. Larry DeBurra and Ff. Mike Colandrea
Posted 5/13/16
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| Photo from The New Haven Register (We used to have the glossy) |
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May 15, 1973
With the retirement of Deputy Chief James Strain, three veteran department members received promotions following competitive civil service exams. Pictured here in the town hall office of Town Clerk Thomas Raccio are Deputy Chief Joe McDermott, Captain Jack Laffin and Lieutenant Walter Macdowall. To the right of Macdowall are Chief V. Paul Leddy and Mr. Raccio.
Dep. Chief McDermott replaced Strain as commander of Platoon 2. Captain Laffin replaced McDermott on Platoon 4 and Lieut. Macdowall replaced Laffin on Platoon 3.
Dep. Chief McDermott retired in September 1991 following 38 years of service. Captain Laffin was promoted again in 1984 to be shift commander of Platoon 1. He retired on January 1, 1990, having served in six different decades.
Lieut. Macdowall went on to become the department's first EMS Officer. In 1984 he was appointed the department's first modern day Assistant Chief. He retired with 26 years of service in November 1991 to accept the position of Fire Chief in LaGrange, Illinois.
Joe McDermott and Jack Laffin are currently members of the HFRA. Walt Macdowall passed away in 1995 while still serving as Chief of the LaGrange Fire Department. He was only 52.
Posted 5/13/16
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| Batt. Chief Mike DiStefano |
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What's the connection?
Answer: Remember this guy?
Mike DiStefano joined the Hamden Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic in September 1987. After twenty-one years with the department Mike retired at the rank of captain and headed south. A month later, Mike joined the Villages (Florida) Department of Public Safety as a new firefighter. Mike, who is a longstanding member of the HFRA, was promoted to lieutenant in 2010 and battalion chief four years later.
On his recent visit to Hamden, we asked Mike to provide us with some information about his new responsibilities, his department and the area it serves.
The Villages [Florida] Department of Public Safety covers 56 square miles and a population of about 120,000. There are from 28 to 30 fire personnel per shift depending upon overtime. Department apparatus consists of two 75' quints, three engines, one heavy squad engine, one fast attack minipumper, five rescues and a B/C's truck. On standby is one wildland urban interface (WUI) engine, a 14 foot boat, a light trailer, an air trailer, and a collapse tech rescue trailer.
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| With the Station 5 personnel and Squad 51, a 2011 Sutphen. |
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Staff consists of the Chief, Deputy Chief, two fire inspectors, one Emergency Management specialist, EMS Captain, Fire Training Captain, Administrative Captain, a financial specialist, one IT guy and administrative assistants. All suppression apparatus have a lieutenant in charge and all trucks are ALS, including all staff vehicles manned by fire personnel.
The department ran a little over 18,000 calls last year. When Mike recently emailed the website with info about his department he wrote, "Yesterday was busy. We ran 55 medical, 4 structure fires with fire at one, and two mutual aid structure fires."
Mike noted that his department runs with other agencies all the time, including three county fire departments, three sheriffs, two city police departments and three EMS transport services. "It can get very confusing sometimes but they are very big on ICS here, even the EMS services and Tow operators are on board with it."
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| B/C DiStefano and (L to R) Firefighter/Paramedic Danny McGoldrick, Lieut. Jeff Loder, Firefighter/EMT Bob Ramage, Firefighter/Paramedic Max Cantor and Firefighter/EMT Mason Guyette (All photos by Angela DiStefano) |
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The Villages department is on a 24/48 work schedule, Mike being the B/C of the A shift. In addition to his line duties, Mike also assists in training and is OIC for all the department's Tech rescue training and ops. The Villages department also is part of a regional Technical Rescue Team taskforce.
Website thanks to Mike and his crew of Station 5 for the photos and the overview of the Villages Department of Public Safety. Wishing you all well, and be safe!
Posted 5/13/16
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| Photo by Bob Mordecai |
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Here's Lieut. DiStefano with his crew test driving a fixer-upper during Hurst Tool training on February 15, 2001. Clockwise after Mike are Firefighters Jay Connolly, Scott Chasney, Julio Lopes and Kim Talmadge.
Re-posted 5/13/16
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2016 Harley Davidson to be Raffled!
The Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club, Gertz-Meriden Motorcycle Club of Connecticut, Inc. is comprised of police officers, firefighters, and any other public safety officers or employees. The club sponsors the High Hopes Home in Meriden for severely handicapped and abandoned children.
The Club also makes donations to other charities during the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys for the Home, the Meriden Fire Department and, when possible, other organizations that support their cause. The Club's only source of income is an annual Motorcycle Raffle.
This year's raffle prize - the ONLY prize - is a
Brand New 2016 Harley Davidson Street Glide!
Only 2000 tickets will be sold, at a cost of $20.00 per ticket.
The drawing for this beautiful motorcycle will take place on July 30th at 5:00 p.m. at the Meriden American Legion, Post #45, 835 Hanover Rd., Meriden, Connecticut. The lucky winner need not be present at the drawing, but is responsible for all taxes.
Contact Rich (Rambo) Maybury at 203-927-1641 for a ticket (or tickets) and/or for more information.
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2016
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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| Firefighter Kurt Vogt, Maria, and Firefighter Chip Talmadge |
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Helping Our "Best Friend"
HFD Called to the Giant
Last Wednesday evening, a male caller notified Hamden Central Communications that his seven-year-old dog named Maria had collapsed while hiking with him at Sleeping Giant State Park and he was unable to remove the dog from the trail without help. Engines 5 and 9 were dispatched to the park at 7:23.
With the assistance of the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), firefighters from both engine companies entered the park from the far eastern trailhead on Chestnut Lane.
The exhausted German Shepard-mix was found approximately a third of a mile in on the Yellow trail. A portable stretcher was used to hand-carry Maria to a waiting DEEP ATV, for removal from the woods.
There were no personnel injuries and all units were back in service at 8:30. The HFD has responded for 10 rescues on Sleeping Giant since the beginning of this year. Nice job, guys!
Posted 5/20/16
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September 16, 2002 - Bob Mordecai took this photo during a break in a training session at an old house on Shepard Avenue that was scheduled for demolition. L-R: Capt. Dave Strawhince, Ff. Craig Smart, Ff. Brion Tierney, and Lt. Jim Dunlop.
At the end of this month, Jim will have been retired ten years. Dave retired at the end of August 2010. Both are members of the HFRA, of which Jim is vice president.
Originally posted 5/20/11
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70 Years Ago!
May 16, 1946 (maybe)*
Gag's Pepper Pot
1115 Dixwell Avenue
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Gag's Pepper Pot was a popular eatery and bar located just south of the Safety Electric Company complex in Hamden's "bank section" on Dixwell Avenue. From viewing a later aerial photo of the area, it is apparent that this heavily damaged building was saved and remodeled. The building remained standing for more than another 50 years before being razed to create a parking lot for a new CVS pharmacy.
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| This I.A. Sneiderman photo is courtesy of the Hamden Professional Firefighters Association, Local 2687, IAFF. |
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*The location and supposed dates of this fire were marked on these photos. One photo gave the date of the fire as May 6, 1946, and the other May 16, 1946.
Researching microfilm images of the New Haven Evening Register for May 1946 resulted in no articles about, or any references to this fire. The Hamden Chronicle did not begin publishing until August 1946.
The little newspaper blurb about this fire in the image above was scanned from a September 1946 Hamden Chronicle article about memorable Hamden fires. After citing a litany of famous Hamden fires of the past, Gag's being the last mentioned, the author continued, "In May of this year Himmel Brothers suffered a $16,000 loss from a blaze . . . " Noting that the Himmel Brothers fire alone occured "this year," suggests that the Gag's Pepper Pot fire probably did not occur in 1946. (Additional information about this fire would be greatly appreciated - hfdbadge102@aol.com)
The fact that the Hamden Police Department was involved in the fire investigation suggests that arson may have been suspected.
Posted 5/20/16
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| Interior, the next day. Two men in the background may be from HPD (Photo courtesy of the Hamden Police Department) |
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| From "This is Hamden" - Hamden Chamber of Commerce (1948) |
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HFD Responds to Lake Wintergreen on Report of Overturned Kayak
Thursday morning May 19th at 8:31, the Hamden Fire Department was called to assist the Hamden Police Department and officers from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in a search at the West Rock Ridge State Park.
A hiker in the area had reported seeing an over-turned kayak in Lake Wintergreen, near the Western shore. However, at the time of the Thursday morning search no one had been reported missing. Hikers and boaters who had been in the area since early morning reported no unusual activity or any persons in distress.
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The HFD launched a boat with firefighters in cold water rescue suits to search the forty-four acre lake and shoreline. A thermal imaging camera was deployed to assist with the search along the shoreline.
Hamden Police Department and DEEP officers searched wooded areas. Fire department units cleared the scene at 10:03, after nothing unusual was found; the HPD and DEEP remained. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact the Hamden Police Department at 203-230-4000. Posted 5/20/16
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| Ff/Paramedic Tim Doyle and Ff/EMT Zachary Criscuolo |
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Dept. Members Honored by Yale-New Haven Hospital
Sponsor Hospital Program During EMS Week
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| L-R: Dep. Chief Gary Merwede, Ff./EMT Larry DeBurra, Ff./Paramedic Kevin Martin, Lieut. Dan Such, Ff./EMT Nelson Hwang, Ff./EMT Shane Schaffer and Chief David Berardesca. (CLICK to enlarge) |
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On May 16th, the Yale-New Haven Hospital Sponsor Hospital Program (YNHHSHP) celebrated EMS Week by awarding Cardiac Arrest Save Unit Citations to the crews of nine local EMS agencies. The agencies all operate under the medical direction of YNHHSHP and the medical protocols in place for emergency medical care in the field.
Five members of the Hamden Fire Department were honored for their efforts to revive a 66-year-old male patient who had suffered full cardiac arrest in his gym on April 7th, 2016. Receiving the unit citation were HFD's Lieut. Dan Such, Firefighter/Paramedics Shane Schaffer, Kevin Martin, and Firefighter/EMTs Nelson Hwang and Larry DeBurra, who initiated advance life support to revive the patient. The HFD medics assisted AMR crew members Michael Violano and William Crisci, who transported the patient to the hospital.
As she presented the awards, EMS Medical Director Dr. Sandy Bogucki stressed the role of early intervention in cases of sudden cardiac events, including prompt activation of the 911 system and the advanced life-support efforts of the responding EMS crews. The 66 year old Hamden resident has since been discharged to his home and is doing well.
Posted 5/20/16
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Posterity Project
Platoon 3 - Station 5
A website celebration of today's future HFD retirees.
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Left to right: Capt. Greg Bannon, Ff. Kim Talmadge and Ff. Jay McCarthy
Posted 5/20/16
(Note: Engine 1 was subbing for Engine 5 the day this photo was taken.)
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The website thanks the Fire Chief's Office and Dep. Chief Gary Merwede for providing all information and photos regarding the three department activities during the past week that have been posted in this week's website update.
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016
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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| Firefighter Charbonneau |
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Remembering Firefighter Edward G. Charbonneau,
Who Died in the Line of Duty, Serving His Country
Edward "Eddie" Charbonneau was appointed to the Hamden Fire Department on August 27, 1968. During his fourteen-year career, Eddie was a loyal and dedicated firefighter. He was among Hamden's first seventeen Emergency Medical Technicians in 1971. Five years later, Eddie was among Hamden's first paramedics.
In addition to his fire department career, Ed Charbonneau also served in the U.S. Army Reserve. On Saturday, December 4, 1982, while on maneuvers with the U.S. Army Reserve in Windsor Locks, Edward Charbonneau died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 43 years old.
On this Memorial Day, we remember HFD's Firefighter/Paramedic Edward G. Charboneau.
Posted 5/27/16
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To all HFD retirees:
Once again, Local 2687 and Chief David Berardesca invite all HFD retirees who still have their dress blues to join the active HFD members in Hamden's 2016 Memorial Day Parade next Monday, May 30th.
HFD personnel and retirees in their dress blues are asked to assemble on the sidewalk in front of Hamden High School between 0900 and 0930 hours. The parade starts at 1000, and will proceed up Dixwell Avenue from the high school to Whitney Avenue. The career contingent this year is part of the Honor Guard Unit, and marching in the first group stepping off.
Participation in Hamden's Memorial Day Parade has always been a tangible way for our firefighters to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of our country. It is also a time to remember our deceased brothers who once marched with us.
The HFRA wishes everyone a safe and meaningful Memorial Day!
Posted 5/27/16
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60 Years Ago!
May 26, 1956
Hamden Cooperative Poultry Auction Assn.
2311 Whitney Avenue
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| The New Haven Register, May 26, 1956 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) |
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Posterity Project
Platoon 2 - Station 5
A website celebration of today's future HFD retirees.
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| Ff. Tavaras |
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Lieut. Jeff Woodford, Firefighter Paul Turner and Firefighter Mike Deline, Jr.
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Firefighter Paul Tavaras (left), a member of Engine 5's crew on Platoon 2, suffered
a serious back injury on the job last year. He hopes to be back on the job soon.
Posted 5/27/16
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30 Years Ago!
Live Fire Training on Arch Street
Well aware that live fire training promotes overall firefighter safety and efficiency, and that doing it in town would result in significant savings, Chief John Tramontano anticipated that live fire training in this old house on Arch Street might help Hamden's politicians to understand the wisdom of funding a permanent fire training facility for Hamden. It didn't work - and the department is still waiting.
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Live Fire Training, 195 Arch Street
May 1986
In May 1986, an old house on Arch Street was scheduled for demolition to make way for a new condo complex. The owners, the Pasqualoni family of Cheshire, donated the house to the Hamden Fire Department for live fire training.
During the last two weeks of May, training in fire attack and ventilation tactics was conducted for all career and volunteer firefighters.
Over the course of two weeks, Co. 7's Vic Mitchell documented much of the training on his new VHS camcorder. During the final day of training, just before we let the building rip, the exercises were attended by a very unexpected visitor.
Originally posted 10/25/10
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| The New Haven Register, Friday, May 30, 1986 (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) |
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| Photo by Ed Doiron, Jr. |
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Platoon 4 Commander (B/C) Francis "Chalky" Leddy observes members of his shift
as they advance an 1-3/4" line into the house donated for live fire training.
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| Advancing a line into the fire building |
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The photo immediately below, featured in the May 21, 1986 edition of The Hamden Chronicle, identified the officer as Lieut. Doug Yocher, and the nozzlemen as Firefighters Mark Barletta and Bob Kenney. The photo was subsequently published in the
1985-86 Annual Report of the Town of Hamden.
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| Photos by Steve Manente |
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| Truck company firefighters preparing to open the roof |
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| Where the house stood (until May 31, 1986) |
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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Retired Dep. Chief Clark Hurlburt found this radio ID plate, once mounted next to the microphone in Engine 5 back when its radio designation was "Engine 35." This plate would have been in that engine when the photo at right was taken at Station 5 in July 1973. Those double-digit radio designations for all fire department units gave way to regular engine, truck, rescue and staff car designations on July 1, 1974.
Posted 5/27/16
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PHOTO: July 1973 - Engine 5 personnel Ffs. John O'Hare and Joe Mulligan, with Co. 5 volunteers Steve Blennerhasset (standing), Bill Chalmers (top), Paul Moody and Clark Hurlburt (tailboard).
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The website is taking the summer off this year.
The last regular weekly update will be Friday, June 24th.
Regular updates will resume Friday, September 9th.
As always, important notifications and reports of significant incidents
will be posted immediately on the HOME page - so keep checking in.
Dave J.
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2016 Harley Davidson to be Raffled!
The Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club, Gertz-Meriden Motorcycle Club of Connecticut, Inc. is comprised of police officers, firefighters, and any other public safety officers or employees. The club sponsors the High Hopes Home in Meriden for severely handicapped and abandoned children.
The Club also makes donations to other charities during the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys for the Home, the Meriden Fire Department and, when possible, other organizations that support their cause. The Club's only source of income is an annual Motorcycle Raffle.
This year's raffle prize - the ONLY prize - is a
Brand New 2016 Harley Davidson Street Glide!
Only 2000 tickets will be sold, at a cost of $20.00 per ticket.
And if the winner prefers, the dealer will negotiate a cash buy-back.
The drawing for this beautiful motorcycle will take place on July 30th at 5:00 p.m. at the Meriden American Legion, Post #45, 835 Hanover Rd., Meriden, Connecticut. The lucky winner need not be present at the drawing, but is responsible for all taxes.
Contact Rich (Rambo) Maybury at 203-927-1641 for a ticket (or tickets) and/or for more information.
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