Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that - in accordance with a proclamation from President Barack Obama directing flags to be lowered to honor the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida - U.S. and state flags in Connecticut will fly at half-staff beginning immediately until sunset on June 16, 2016.
-----------
Please keep the Orlando victims, their families and loved ones, and the first responders in your thoughts and prayers.
Posted 6/12/16
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
 |
| CLICK here for daily flag status |
|
|
FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
|
 |
| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
50 YEARS AGO!
Sunday, June 12, 1966
Hamden's 3rd Field Day
Hamburgers, hotdogs - and ending with doughnuts
|
From 1964 until the mid-1970s, Hamden Fire Department career and volunteer personnel, along with their families, joined together in some friendly competition in the Annual Firemen's Field Day at Brooksvale Park. Usually held on the second Sunday of June, the field day was a relaxing afternoon of hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda that included some spirited events like the bucket brigade, hose laying, ladder climb, midnight alarm and horseshoes. The wives and ladies' auxiliaries participated too. Trophies were awarded for first, second and third place in all events.
The annual field days lasted for about ten years. Years later, one final field day for the career and volunteer companies was held at Quinnipiac College in conjunction with the May 1986 Hamden Bicentennial Celebration (see bottom of this page).
__________
The photos below are from the June 12, 1966 field day, when all participants were treated to an unexpected final event, for which no trophies were awarded.
Originally posted 6/7/13
|
 |
| Sunday, June 12, 1966 - One of five events was the Hose Laying Contest. Engine 5 and Rescue 2 can be seen in the background. (Photo by Ed Doiron, Sr.) |
|
|
 |
| The Ladies' Auxiliary had their own team in the hose laying competition. The two firefighters in khakis by Engine 5 are Fred Fletcher and Dave Howe. |
|
|
 |
| June 12, 1966 - The Bucket Brigade. The object was to fill a 55 gallon drum until the inflated ball inside floated over the top. (Photo by Ed Doiron, Sr.) |
|
|
 |
| New Haven Register, Tuesday, June 14, 1966 |
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
By the end of the afternoon, these guys would be very busy.
|
The "paid" department was well represented, too, with these guys from Platoon 1.
L-R: Capt. Francis Leddy, Ff. Jerold Bradbury, Lt. Joe McDermott,
Ff. Bill Davin (in hat), Ff. Russ Smith, and Ff. Ed Doiron.
(Photo by Stan Brown courtesy of Joe McDermott)
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Also 50 Years Ago . . .
Sunday, June 12, 1966
Mount Carmel Landmark Destroyed
Connecticut Doughnut Company, 3800 Whitney Avenue
|
 |
| Photo by I.A. Sneiderman |
|
|
From the New Haven Journal-Courier, Monday, June 13, 1966
(courtesy of Gil Spencer)
|
 |
| All color photos by Ed Doiron, Sr. |
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
THE CONNECTICUT DOUGHNUT COMPANY
|
 |
| (Maryjane McGaffin Collection) |
|
|
L-R: Al Barnes, Bill Cook, Rex Barnes, Vin Vitale, Hudson "Hud" Weigold and Dave Woodruff.
This c. 1930 photograph of six employees included a future Hamden fire commissioner, Hudson "Hud" Weigold, who served on the Hamden Board of Fire Commissioners from 1947 until 1958. By 1937, Mr. Weigold (second from right) was president of the Connecticut Doughnut Company.
|
 |
| (Maryjane McGaffin Collection) |
|
|
c. 1935 - The Connecticut Doughnut Company sold their products to local vendors,
delivering their baked goods in these vehicles.
|
 |
| (Maryjane McGaffin Collection) |
|
|
For over 20 years, until the early 1960s, the Connecticut Doughnut Co. also operated as the Puritan Doughnut Co., marketing their "donutty" products throughout the area. This 1941 photo shows their fleet of "PURITAN" panel trucks parked in their side lot.
|
 |
| CONNECTICUT DOUGHNUT COMPANY - c. 1950 (Maryjane McGaffin Collection) |
|
|
Today, the General Rental Center at 3800 Whitney Avenue, and Smokey's at 3810 Whitney Avenue.
Both businesses occupy the site of the old Connecticut Doughnut Company building.
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Posterity Project
Platoon 3 - Car 3
.
Featured this week is the shift commander of Platoon 3, Battalion Chief Rich Otlowski.
Posted 6/10/16
|
 |
| Battalion Chief Rich Otlowski beside Car 3 at Station 3 |
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
40 YEARS AGO!
Thursday, June 10, 1976
Maisano's Package Store, 1533 Dixwell Avenue
|
 |
| New Haven Register, Friday, June 11, 1976 (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) |
|
June 10, 2016 - Forty years ago this evening, five off-duty Platoon 3 guys gathered for their weekly nickel-dime poker night. The game venue rotated among the members' homes, this one taking place at the apartment of a younger member who had a scanner.
Around 8:30, as the next hand was being played, Dispatcher Wilbur Baker's voice could be heard over the scanner announcing, "possible building fire at Maisano's Package Store, 1533 Dixwell Avenue. Engine 1, Engine 2, Truck 2 and Rescue 2." All of the off-duty card players were assigned to one of those pieces.
The call eventually went to two alarms, which did not faze the poker players. "C'mon, deal!" And anyway, the adult beverages included on these occasions precluded all of them from an off-duty response. The dealing, betting and winning (and losing) continued.
Once the fire was deemed under control and companies were preparing to return to quarters, the Chief radioed Dispatcher Baker to start calling the off-duty men to get someone to stand "fire watch" for the remainder of the night.
The off-duty guys holding cards in their hands all chimed in, "Good thing I'm not home!"
"They won't find me!"
"Hey kid, leave your phone off the hook."
No matter. The kid's phone never rang. Baker radioed back to Car 40. An off-duty "Guy" was contacted for fire watch. And the poker game continued uninterrupted.
Posted 6/10/16
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
30 Years Ago
Hamden's 1986 Bicentennial Fire Muster
(on or about)
June 14, 1986
In conjunction with the Spring 1986 celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Hamden, the Hamden Fire Department conducted its first (and last) inter-company fire muster competition since the late 1970s. Teams representing Mt. Carmel, Mix District, Dunbar Hill, West Woods and a contingent of career members that included Chief John Tramontano all competed in several events.
Previous fire musters, from 1964 until the late 1970s, were always held at Brooksvale Park. The Bicentennial Muster was held on the property of then-Quinnipiac College, about where the law school stands today. Unfortunately, we find no department or newspaper records of winners, but the competition did included a Midnight Alarm, Tug-of-War, Bucket Brigade and one or two other contests.
Fortunately, some department members did take photos, a few of which are posted here:
|
 |
| (CLICK to enlarge) |
|
|
L to R: Co. 7's 1918 Brockway, 1935 Dodge, Hamden's 1941 Diamond-T ladder truck (owned by Ken Lewis), three unidentified pumpers, Co. 7's 1951 Maxim, Co. 5's 1954 Maxim, 1959 Maxim "cab-forward" (Engine 6), 1958 Maxim 75' Aerial (Truck 1), 1975 Ford (formerly Rescue 2), Co. 8's 1978 Pierce Minipumper, 1973 Maxim "foam truck" (Engine 9), and one of two 1984 Pierce "Dash" pumpers (either Engine 2 or Engine 4). Except for the three unknowns, only the 1959 Maxim "cab forward" and the 1978 Minipumper are known to exist today.
Below is a composite of two photos taken by Co. 7's Jim Wetmore, showing the same apparatus starting with the first of the three "unknowns." The enlargement of this photo is quite detailed.
|
 |
| Composite photo by Jim Wetmore - CLICK to enlarge |
|
|
 |
| CLICK to enlarge |
|
|
 |
| CLICK to enlarge |
|
|
The late Ken Lewis, who was a longtime member of Company 8 and an enthusiastic collector of old fire apparatus, purchased Hamden's 1941 Diamond-T ladder truck from the New Milford Fire Department, which bought it from Hamden in 1963. Mr. Lewis generously allowed an HFD department member to drive this iconic former Hamden fire truck to the Hamden Bicentennial Fire Muster. The muster was held on the grounds of Quinnipiac College, where the Quinnipiac University Law School stands today.
|
 |
| CLICK to enlarge |
|
|
 |
| CLICK to enlarge |
|
|
 |
| "It's Showtime!" (Who always said that?) - Remaining muster photos courtesy of Gil Spencer |
|
|
 |
| Folks arriving before the events began |
|
|
 |
| Bucket Brigade - Fill the 55-gallon drum until the rubber ball inside floats over the top. Best time wins. |
|
|
 |
| Midnight Alarm - Find and don your own gear. Time stops when last man is done. Best time wins. |
|
|
HFD Chaplain Owen Sanderson (above) and retired Chief V. Paul Leddy (in the red shirt below) judged all events.
|
 |
| Advancing a 2-1/2 line to the opening . . . |
|
|
 |
| . . . then directing a straight stream to knock the Clorox bottle off the pedestal. Best time wins. |
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Bicentennial Outing at Brooksvale
|
It was Cops vs. Firemen at Brooksvale Park in a friendly game of softball. Here our own Charlie Cargan blasts one to the outfield as HPD catcher (Bill Sikorsky?) and Umpire Tony Mentone look on.
|
Firefighter Brian Forsyth laid down a carpet of high-expansion foam for the kids to play in.
|
Then-Supt. and future Chief of Department Paul Wetmore, Sr. with a young attendee.
|
The Bicentennial Outing was a fun day for many department families, and especially for the kids.
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
1936 Hamden Parade Film Coming Next Week!
|
Next week marks the 80th anniversary of Hamden's Sesquicentennial Parade, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Town of Hamden. In cooperation with the Hamden Historical Society, the HFRA website will be posting an 8-minute 16mm film of the parade, which featured the Hamden Fire Department, a large marching contingent from the Highwood Volunteer Fire Association with their first apparatus, and many other Hamden organizations of 1936.
Be sure to check it out!
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
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.
|
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
