Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc.

Good morning and welcome to all!  Over the past year this rotunda has seen many gatherings for the swearing-in ceremonies of the Hamden Fire Department. This has all been made possible by the support of Mayor Garrett, her staff, our Legislative Council, our Personnel department, Fire Commission, and Civil Service. Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to our department has helped fill our ranks to provide the safety to our members and community.

 
These ceremonies are not just for our members, but for their families. The families who will support them through this new profession that they now take on. There will be many family events, holidays, nights and weekends missed. Sacrifices that will be felt by children, spouses, parents and siblings. Know that your loved one is not with you at that moment to provide safety and security to others and serve the community of Hamden. They are with their new family for the next 24 hours, the fire family that you have now become a part of. Their crew, officers, brothers and sisters are the support that will bring them home to you at the end of their tour.

 
This past Friday our five new firefighters graduated from the Connecticut Fire Academy after 14 weeks of intensive training. Mayor Garrett, Chief of Staff Grace and Deputy Chief of Staff Panayotakis were the first and only Mayoral staff to attend the Connecticut Fire Academy Graduation from Hamden. Their support of our Fire Department and the safety of Hamden’s community is undoubtably second to none. It is beyond comforting to know they truly value the fire department's role in public safety and the sacrifices we all make for those we serve. It is in this partnership that we are able to keep our operational needs moving forward while keeping safety as our number one priority.
  
Hamden’s five new probationary firefighters have proven themselves both academically and physically at the CFA. They have received the foundation of training needed to "ride the back step" and be contributing members of our department. It is now that your learning and experience will exponentially grow with the leadership of our officers and knowledgeable firefighters you will be working with.
 
All five of you are tremendous additions to our department and I look forward to seeing each of you help shape the future of the fire service. Remember to never stop learning, take care of one another and remain steadfast to our mission.