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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All material on this website, not otherwise in the Public Domain, including all original photos, essays, articles, descriptions and commentary published herein, are © Copyright 2010 by the Hamden Fire Retirees' Assn., and may not be copied, republished or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission of the Hamden Fire Retirees' Assn.
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| February 27, 1938 |
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| 1938 Diamond-T Squard at Headquarters when bay doors faced north (Photo courtesy of Gilbert Spencer) |
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This brand new 1938 Diamond-T Squad was delivered in February, 1938. This photo, taken shortly thereafter, shows Station 4 before the Alarm Room was added to the west (back) side of Station 4. Through the windows of the small bay to the right of the Squad you can see a wall-mounted radiator. If the rez on your computer is fairly decent you also can see the RH edge of the rear window that was eventually bricked up when the Alarm Room was added.
The photo below is basically the same view of the Squad after the Alarm Room was added to the west (back) side of the building. You can see the difference in the brickwork, where the old masonary blends with the new.
The small RH bay door seen in the above photo was enlarged and made into the same type of overhead door as the LH bay door. This modification was short-lived, however, because both bay doors were relocated to the Whitney Avenue side of Station 4 by early 1940.
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| Squad at Station 4 after Alarm Room was added |
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| 1938 Diamond-T Squad e/w 150 GPM pump |
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c. 1942 - The 1938 Diamond-T Squad is pictured on the new front ramp after the renovation of Headquarters. Supt. Clem Wetmore added the windshield for the rear step riders in early 1942.
The '38 Squad was taken out of service on July 29, 1959 and assigned to Volunteer Co. 9 in West Woods. In November 1959 a 200 gallon tank was added. In the mid-1960s it was removed from service and placed at Station 5 as a spare. It. was sold in November 1971 for $272.00.
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1953 - The Squad was 15 years old when this photo was taken, and it still looked pretty good. By then, the three-lensed Roto-Ray warning light had been replaced by a rotating beacon warning light.
The building that would later house Reilly's Restaurant (in the distance at Whitney and School) was the Savoy Restaurant in 1953. The first three letters can be seen on the vertical sign hanging from the front of the building.
A few years later, The Savoy moved to the east side of Whitney and one block north. It was the first occupant in a building that now houses a bank. From the late Fifties until the early Eighties, the Savoy occupied the building that now houses Side Street Cafe on Dickerman Street. (Photo courtesy of Tom Doherty)
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| c. 1954 - The Squad is shown at a brush fire. The firefighter with his back to the camera may be then-Capt. V. Paul Leddy, who would have responded on the Squad from HQ. Photo courtesy of Chan Brainard. |
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| The "Rescues" |
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Autumn 1960 - Chief Raymond C. Spencer and Captain James Strain are pictured here at Station 2 with Rescue 2 (Headquarters) and Rescue 1 (Station 2). Chief Spencer retired in November of 1960 and was succeeded by Batt. Chief V. Paul Leddy. Captain Strain was promoted to the Batt. Chief slot vacated by Chief Leddy. Shortly after Leddy became chief, Rescue 1 was reassigned to Station 3 on Putnam Avenue.
Rescue 2 - 1960 International Travel-al, placed in service at Fire Headquarters on February 9, 1960. Sold at auction in November 1971 for $251.00.
Rescue 1 - 1958 International Travel-al, placed in service at Station 2 at 4:10 p.m. on December 10, 1958. Sold at auction in November 1971 for $175.00. (In December 1973, a West Haven man who was driving this vehicle was killed when it went out of control and flipped over several times.)
The two white rescues remained in service until 1971, when a new modular-bodied Ford was assigned to Station 4 as Rescue 1. Engine 2 continued to respond on rescue calls in the south end until April 1976, when new Rescue 2 (a 1975 modular-bodied Ford) went in service at Station 2 in conjunction with the introduction of paramedic service.
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| Early 1960s - Milner Benham and Lt. George Reutenauer on Rescue 2 (1960 International Travel-al) at Headquarters. (Until November 1971, the rescue unit at Headquarters was designated as "Rescue 2") |
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| October 1962 - Rescue 2 at Brooksvale Park (Photo by O.H. Johansson, New Haven) |
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"New" Rescue 1 - On a 1971 Ford chassis, was placed in service at Station 4 at 12 noon on November 5, 1971. Shortly thereafter it acquired the dubious nickname, "Circus Wagon," for obvious reasons. (Previously, the rescue unit assigned to Station 4 was designated as "Rescue 2.")
In 1971, 17 Hamden firefighters became Emergency Medical Technicians, providing basic life support services.
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| April 9, 1976 - Ray Reilly backs the new Rescue 2 into the center bay at Station 2 for the first time. |
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Ray Reilly backs Rescue 2 into the center bay at Station 2 for the first time.
In 1976, Hamden was one of the first municipalities in Southern Connecticut to offer paramedic advanced life support as part of its emergency medical services. Hamden's first paramedics were Milner Benham, John Calamo, Edward Charbonneau, Charles Esposito, Howard Hurlburt, Jr., Walter Macdowall, John Tramontano, and Robert Westervelt.
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| 1985 photo - Rescue 1, on a 1979 Chevy C-30/E-One chassis |
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| 1985 photo - Rescue 2, on a 1980 Chevy C-30 Custom DeLuxe chassis - Delivered in November 1980 |
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| May 14, 1986 - Rescue 1 - 1985 Chevrolet C-30 by E-One |
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| April 1988 - Delivery of new Rescue 1 - 1988 GMC (TR31403) Chassis was purchased by Hamden; the box was supplied by New Haven ambulance |
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| 1988 GMC refurbished (Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan) |
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| 1988 GMC Rescue converted to "Emergency Management" vehicle (Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan) |
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| Rescue 2 - 1995 Ford 3D (Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan) |
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| Rescue 1 - 1998 Ford 3D (Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan) |
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| Rescue 1 - Ford Emergency One (Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan) |
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| Rescue 1 - One of Hamden's three brand new rescue units. At any given time one of the three units will be kept in reserve. |
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