The Summer Meeting of the Hamden Fire Retirees' Association
will take place at the Hamden Elks on Tuesday, July 8th at 1 p.m.
Menu to be announced shortly.
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2013
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to go to HGSRA webpage |
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To Our Website Visitors
This year the HFRA website will be on an abbreviated summer schedule. There will be a regular weekly update next Friday, June 28, but during July and August the website will be updated bi-weekly on the second and fourth Fridays - July 12, 26, August 9 and 23. Regular weekly website updates will resume on September 6th. As always, important interim announcements will be posted above the masthead.
Posted 6/21/13
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| CLICK HERE to view more photos and newspaper accounts. |
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| Rite Box Co.
2317 Whitney Avenue
Thursday, June 20, 1963
Rite Box, a Hamden company that manufactured cardboard boxes, was located off the east side of Whitney Avenue, south of Dixwell Avenue, in a complex that housed several other manufacturing concerns. The fire got started in the warehouse portion of the building. The alarm came in at 6:48 in the evening and a second alarm was sounded at 7.
The building was located approximately where Hamden Center One is located now. The company eventually moved to Sherman Avenue.
Click on the photo at left to view newspaper accounts and more photos of the fire.
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This 1965 aerial view confirms that lots of changes have occurred in Centerville since the 1960s. The Hamden Center high rises and a parking garage now stand where Rite Box (#2317 Whitney Avenue) and many other businesses were located years ago.
Posted 6/21/13
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| 1965 aerial view of Centerville - East side of Whitney Avenue, south of Dixwell. Nos. 2305 and 2313 are still standing. Nos. 2311, 2315 and 2317 and the other buildings near them were razed in the early-1980s to make way for the two Hamden Center buildings and a parking garage. CLICK to enlarge. |
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Rite Box, June 20, 1963 - Firefighters Burt Hillocks (foreground) and Dave Howe overhauling with booster lines. Dave served from January 2, 1948 until his retirement 29 years ago this week. He passed away in 1989. Burt served from September 11, 1950 until he retired in February 1981 at the rank of captain. Burt passed away last September at the age of 91.
Posted 6/21/13
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184 Greenway Street
March 17, 1964
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| Chief V. Paul Leddy and Dep. Chief James Strain (Old Platoon 3) inspect aftermath of house fire at 184 Greenway Street to determine cause. (Photo from HFRA archives - photographer unknown) |
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Ancient communications hardware from Station 5
finds its way to the Connecticut Fire Museum in Manchester
(No, it's not the Gamewell tape register.)
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Career firefighters Jack Laffin and Fred Fletcher pose with three Co. 5 volunteers in this 1953 photo taken at Station 5. On the shelf above the Gamewell tape register sits a very modern desk telephone for 1953, a Western Electric Model 500 (still manufactured until the 1980s). However, on the wall right above (see arrow) is an ancient Western Electric 295 walnut subscriber set (AKA "bell box") with exposed gongs, which was once connected to a Western Electric 51AL desk stand (AKA "candlestick" telephone).
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| (Photo courtesy of Gilbert Spencer) |
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The old bell box was removed in the early 1970s during a repaint of the apparatus floor and fully restored years later. In 2002, the same walnut bell box that hung on the wall of Station 5 in that 1953 photo was donated to the Connecticut Fire Museum in Manchester along with the same type of candlestick telephone that was connected to it before the more modern phone was installed. The old telephone and bell box still work perfectly.
Posted 6/21/13
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| Fully restored bell box from Station 5, with candlestick phone, donated to the Connecticut Fire Museum in 2002. |
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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Tracy Ann Tramontano
It is with deep regret that we announce the passing on June 16th of Tracy Ann Tramontano, wife of former fire chief and brother retiree, John Tramontano.
Calling hours will be held Saturday, June 22nd from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the William F. Smart Sr. Memorial Home, Franklin-Tilton Road in Tilton, NH. A committal service will be held Monday, June 24th at 11:00 a.m. at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 D. W. Highway in Boscawen, NH. Those wishing may make memorial contributions in Tracy’s name to the Hawk Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Laconia Airport, 65 Aviation Drive, Gilford, NH 03249.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Chief Tramontano and his family:
CLICK HERE: View Obituary for Tracy Ann Tramontano
Posted 6/18/13
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June 14, 2013 - The week marks the fourth anniversary of the Hamden Fire Retirees' Association's website. Thanks to the generous contributions of photos and stories from dozens of HFD retirees and other fans of the website, we have published hundreds of photographs and scores of articles about past and present members of the Hamden Fire Department. We are always looking for more photos and articles about life in the HFD.
We are staying connected and preserving our past.
Posted 6/14/13
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IMPORTANT!
Two members of the HFRA and HGSRA contacted the website regarding this column by David Walker, published recently in USA TODAY. Please read:
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Hamden and North Haven considering
consolidation of emergency dispatch centers.
Is "Regionalization" in the future?
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| 1963 - Ff. Wilbur Baker, Chief Dispatcher |
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| 1982 - Disp. Marge Gambardella Yacano |
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| 2012 - Disp. #317 Brian Esposito |
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June 13, 1939 - New Pumper
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| June 13, 1939 - (L-R) Commissioner Albert Ruwet, Commissioner Thomas Miller and Chief Charles Loller. (Photo by I.A. Sneiderman from HFRA Archives) |
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74 years ago this week the Department accepted delivery of a 500 g.p.m. pumper built on a Diamond-T chassis by the Woods Engineering Service of Topsfield, Massachusetts. The pumper was placed in service at Headquarters and remained there until it was replaced by the 1954 Maxim that was purchased with the help of a grant from Civil Defense.
This was the second of five Diamond-Ts that served the Department. Earlier the previous year, Hamden accepted delivery of the 1938 Diamond-T Emergency Squad.
After 1954, the 1939 Diamond-T served as Engine 6 and Engine 7 before being sold in 1977 to a private buyer.
Posted 6/14/13
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The nose of the 1939 Diamond-T can been seen at the far left in the October 1965 photo below. Hamden school kids gathered at the old Stop & Shop parking lot adjacent to St. Ann's Church during the annual Fire Prevention Week display of fire apparatus. With the recent delivery of the 1965 Mack, and the resulting shuffling of apparatus, the '39 Diamond-T had just been assigned to Volunteer Co. 7.
Fire personnel, left to right, are Lt. William Hines, Dep. Chief Everett Doherty, Lt. Daniel O'Connell, Chief V. Paul Leddy and Dep. Chief Training Officer Daniel Hume. In the background, between Lt. O'Connell and Chief Leddy, is a very youthful Jim Wetmore of Volunteer Co. 7 beside their 1935 Dodge.
Posted 6/14/13
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| (Photo by I.A. Sneiderman from HFRA archives) |
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Standing (L-R) Asst. Chief August Ball, Asst. Chief Thayer Jones, Asst. Chief Raymond C. Spencer, and an unidentified member. Seated (L-R) Commissioner Thomas Miller, Commissioner James Gillies*, Commissioner Albert Ruwet, Chief Charles Loller, Asst. Fire Marshal Thomas Pender.
Posted 6/14/13
*This gentleman is believed to be Cmmr. Gillies. However, he might be Cmmr. Leroy L. Jackson, depending upon the exact date the photo was taken. Unfortunately, we have no photo that positively identifies either one of them.
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| June 15th 1978 - Couldn't resist reposting this photo taken by a bored firefighter sitting watch 35 years ago. |
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HFRA Honorary Member Lucyann Roth
It is with deep regret that we announce the passing on June 9th of honorary HFRA member Lucyann Roth, widow of our brother retiree, Vincent Roth, who passed away in 2007. A mass of Christian burial was celebrated in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on Thursday, June 13th at 10:00 a.m. Interment followed in All Saints Cemetery.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Lucyann's family:
CLICK HERE: View Lucyann Roth's Obituary by New Haven Register
Revised 6/13/13
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The 3rd Annual Firemen's Field Day at Brookvale Park
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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.
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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.
Posted 6/7/13
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| 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.) |
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| 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.) |
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| June 12, 1966 - The "paid" department's old Platoon One was well represented, too. 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) |
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And then, just as the festivities were winding down . . .
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| From the New Haven Journal-Courier, Monday, June 13, 1966. (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) All color photos by Ed Doiron, Sr. |
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| New Haven Register, Tuesday, June 14, 1966 |
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| Advertisement for the Connecticut Doughnut Company from the 1965 edition of "The Venture," yearbook of Hamden High School |
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| Today, the General Rental Center at 3800 Whitney Avenue, and Smokey's at 3810 Whitney Avenue, both occupy the site of the old Connecticut Doughnut Company building. |
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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This is how Station 3 looked on June 9, 1978, when it was not quite eight years old. Engine 3 occupied the left bay, Truck 2 the middle bay, and Car 30 (now Car 3) the right bay. At the time, Car 30 was a red 1977 Plymouth station wagon. The Red Cross boat, acquired by the Department in 1948, can be seen behind the ladder truck.
The original front of the building was encrusted with small pebbles. About ten years after this photo was taken, the front of the station was rebuilt following an accident that took down the pillar between the left and middle bays. For several months thereafter the apparatus exited through the rear bay doors. A new facade made of brick featured a larger middle bay opening, which allowed the station to accommodate the two tower aerial ladder trucks that were stationed there from 1991 on.
Posted 6/7/13
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40 Years Ago!
Before the HFD organized a Mountain Rescue Team in 1976, would-be mountain climbers still had to be rescued off the Sleeping Giant. Forty years ago this week, Sleeping Giant Park ranger Tim Steele, who was also a member of Volunteer Co. 5, rescued a 12-year old from the quarry face without benefit of the sophisticated gear used today. Ff. Ed. Doiron of Engine 5 is pictured in the lower photo below, leading the boy to level ground.
Posted 6/7/13
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| New Haven Register, June 3, 1973 (Courtesy of Gil Spencer) |
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| Hamden Chronicle article courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society |
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR FALL 2013
Have fun while making a difference. Experience Corps needs people age 50+ to tutor literacy in Hamden and New Haven elementary schools 10+ hours a week starting in October. Training is provided. Volunteers also participate in fun community events to encourage reading. A small stipend and college tuition/loan help for a child or grandchild provided. You must have a high school diploma or GED and be able to pass a background check via fingerprints. Interested? Call Sheila at 203-752-3059 x2900 or email volunteer@aoascc.org
Experience Corps - Greater New Haven is a program of the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut and a proud member of the National Service Network. For more information, please visit www.experiencecorps.org
Contact information:
Sheila Greenstein, AARP Experience Corps Program Manager
Agency on Aging of South Central CT
1 Long Wharf Drive
New Haven, CT 06511
Fax: 203-752-0048
Posted 6/7/13
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Please keep Houston firefighters and their families in your thoughts and prayers.
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Potential BLEVE
Thursday, July 9, 1959
Dixwell Avenue in North Haven
Fifty-four years ago, the term "BLEVE" (BLEH-vee), for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion, was relatively unknown in the fire service, which is probably why Hamden Firefighters Bill Esposito and Burt Hillocks were more focused on extinguishing a blaze atop a 6,000 gallon gasoline transporter than with the real potential for a BLEVE. But only a few weeks after the North Haven incident, a fire in a massive gasoline storage facility in Kansas City, Kansas resulted in a monstrous BLEVE that took the lives of five firefighters and injured dozens more.
Posted 5/31/13
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| The New Haven Evening Register, Thursday, July 9, 1959 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) Photo by Donald Yosua |
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The burning tanker was on Dixwell Avenue just east of the Hamden-North Haven town line when fire companies from both towns were alerted and responded. Hamden's Engine 4, only 2/10 of a mile away, arrived first. Donald Yosua's newspaper photos clearly show that the fire was well involved by the time Ff. Esposito was able to apply the first water from Engine 4's Rockwood fog applicator.
Fortunately, the tanker was nearly full, which reduced the likilhood of a BLEVE during those first critical minutes before Hamden firefighters arrived. The potential for a BLEVE was very real nonetheless, placing Firefighters Esposito and Hillocks in an extremely perilous situation, which they defused through quick action.
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| Hamden Firefighter Bill Esposito advances toward a burning gasoline tanker with a Rockwood low-velocity fog applicator on a charged 1-1/2" handline. (Photo by Donald Yosua, from Local 2687 Collection) |
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| The New Haven Evening Register, Thursday, July 9, 1959 |
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| April 2000 at Sta. 9 |
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35 Years - Battalion Chief Don LaBanca
Website congratulations to B/C Don LaBanca, who has completed 35 years of service with the Hamden Fire Department. Don has been the most senior member of the department for the last several years.
Don began his HFD career as a Grade B firefighter on May 30, 1978 and was assigned to Platoon 3, then led by D/C George Reutenauer. He was promoted to lieutenant in December 1984 and captain in August 1993. On his promotion to battalion chief several years ago, Chief LaBanca became shift commander of Platoon 3, right where he began his career as a new firefighter.
Wishing B/C LaBanca all the very best as he starts Year 36!
Posted 5/31/13
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| May 27, 2013 |
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One word ("OOOPS") is worth a thousand pictures . . .
This I.A. Sneiderman photo from the late 1950s appears to have been shot on Dixwell Avenue near the high school overpass to the Wilbur Cross Parkway. The parkway sign suggests that the truck was southbound. The driver obviously realized that his cargo was not going to make it (some aren't that lucky - or intuitive). Careful backward maneuvering with the aid of HPD undoubtedly remedied his dilemma. Or, maybe like another semi driver in a similar predicament a few years earlier, he just let some air out of the trailer's eight tires, allowing his cargo to clear the bridge.
Posted 5/31/13
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| Photo courtesy of Kris Beirne and the Hamden Historical Society |
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Firefighter Richard W. Kenyon
(1944 - 2013)
It is with deep regret that we report the passing of our brother retiree, Richard "Ricky" Kenyon, husband of Luciana Maio Kenyon. Ricky passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, May 16, 2013 in Florida, where he and his wife were residing. Rick was the father of Kimberly (Mark) Rapela and Nicole (Raymond) Phelan. Stepfather of John (Diana) Kusmit and Jeffrey (Amy) Kusmit. Loving grandfather of Lauren, Victoria, Brendan, Olivia, Tyler, Connor and Alexander. He also leaves behind his one sister Nancy Stanish.
Ricky served in the U.S. Army for four years. He joined the Hamden Fire Department in July 1969 and served until his retirement in April 1993. Ricky was a dedicated firefighter and was for many years a tireless negotiator for our three bargaining units, the Hamden Paid Firemen's Sick Benefit Association, the Hamden Firefighters Association and the Hamden Professional Firefighters Association, Local 2687, IAFF. In recent years, Ricky was a frequent contributor to the website, emailing links to online stories about labor issues concerning retirees.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11 a.m. today at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Hamden. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky's wife Lucy and the rest of the Kenyon family.
Revised 5/24/13
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| December 1969 - Firefighters Bob Chadwick and Ricky Kenyon training on Welton Street (Photo by Ed Doiron, Sr.) |
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| CLICK to view Davenport Fire video |
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| Davenport Residence Fire
125 Putnam Avenue
Wednesday, May 25, 1988
The Hamden Fire Department faced its most potentially disastrous emergency twenty-five years ago when fire broke out at the Davenport Residence, an eight story apartment building for the elderly at 125 Putnam Avenue.
CLICK on top photo to view a ten minute video that was produced immediately afterward by the department's training division. Amateur and TV news video and the actual HFD radio transmissions helped to chronicle the extraordinary efforts put forth by Hamden firefighters, and those of the Bethany, Cheshire, New Haven, and North Haven departments, from the time of dispatch until the building was completely evacuated.
An effective incident command system, early calls for mutual aid, and the C-MED emergency medical disaster plan all dovetailed perfectly to avert what would have been a major tragedy.
CLICK on the lower photo to view several news stories that were provided by the WTNH-8 and WFSB-3 news departments. The video starts with a scene from the final episode of an iconic 1980s NBC television series that was being broadcast at the exact moment the Gamewell alarm was being transmitted from the scene. A few minutes later came the news bulletin during the 11 o'clock news on Channel 8.
Revised and re-posted 5/24/13
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| CLICKI to view Davenport news stories |
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| The Hartford Courant - Friday, May 27, 1988 - CLICK to enlarge |
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| Davenport Residence 25 Years Later |
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1958
The Advent of Hamden EMS - First HFD "Rescue" Placed in Service
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| The New Haven Evening Register, Monday, December 15, 1958 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) CLICK to enlarge |
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| Modern EMS in Hamden probably began when the first of two International Travel-al "station wagons" was placed in service at Station 2 in December 1958. Designated as "Rescue One," this unit was joined a year later by a new 1960 Travel-al, "Rescue Two," which was stationed at Headquarters. Rescue One was transferred from Station 2 to Station 3 on Putnam Avenue in early 1961.
Capt. James Strain (standing) was promoted to Battalion Chief in 1961 to command "old" Platoon 3. With the 42-hour workweek in 1970, Chief Strain headed "new" Platoon 2. When Chief Strain retired in April 1973, Firefighter Joe McDermott, by then a captain, was promoted to replace Chief Strain as the shift commander of Platoon 2. Joe retired in 1991 and is a member of the HFRA.
Firefighter Mike "Mickey" Cantarella served on the Department from 1951 until 1969. Firefighter Dave Herrmann came on the job in 1949. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1970 and retired in 1979. Dave was among the scores of residents who were rescued during the 1988 Davenport Residence fire (see above article and videos). He was interviewed during a local news broadcast.
Posted 5/24/13
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Do you know where you are?
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| Joe Taylor provided this 1926 postcard photo of a Hamden scene. We have a fire department training photo taken near the same spot almost 40 years later. CLICK on the photo to find out where. |
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The HOME page contains postings from the past FOUR weeks only.
All previous weekly updates, from April 1, 2011 on, may be viewed by going
to the menu tab "HOME (Archived)."
Articles about fires and other major incidents can be retrieved from the "Action!" tab.
Other articles may be retrieved by going to the "Past Articles" tab.
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| CLICK here to visit the official website of the Hamden Professional Firefighters, Local 2687, I.A.F.F. |
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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 eleven years ago on September 11, 2001.
Always keep them, their families and the FDNY in your thoughts and prayers.
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