| Hamden Fire Retirees' Association |
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NEXT WEEK'S UPDATE WILL BE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.
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DAILY FLAG STATUS
CLICK here!
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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We're Invited!
The website has received two invitations for all Hamden Fire Retirees. Our brothers at Local 2687 invite all retirees to join them at the annual Local 2687 Golf Tournament on Friday, October 5th at the Laurel View Country Club. Registration and breakfast at 8 a.m., shotgun start at 9 a.m. CLICK on the poster photo below for more information.
An invitation was also received this week from the Chief's Office, inviting all retirees to a special reception next Friday, August 31st, from 10 until noon, in the 3rd floor conference room at the Hamden Government Center. The Department is honoring a couple of special ladies we have known for many years - Jeanine Aceto and Francine Monaco, who are retiring at the end of this month. Together, Jeanie and Fran have served more than fifty years as secretaries in the Hamden Fire Department.
Posted 8/24/12
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CLICK on either image to enlarge for easier reading.
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42 School Street
Thursday, August 27, 1953
"Flames Flicker in Fireman's Father's Flat"
That was the headline in the following Thursday's edition of The Hamden Chronicle. The fire at 42 School Street did considerable damage to the apartment of Frank Cantarella, father of Hamden Firefighter Michael "Mickey" Cantarella. No injuries were reported and Ff. Cantarella was not on duty at the time. Volunteers from Mt. Carmel, several of whom would eventually become career department members, were playing ball in a nearby field and responded to the scene. (Photo articles courtesy of Chan Brainard)
Posted 8/24/12
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| From The Hamden Chronicle, Thursday, September 3, 1953 - CLICK to enlarge |
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42 School Street was razed many years ago to expand the parking area across Whitney Avenue from Eli's. But its twin is still standing at number 36.
Numbers 36 and 42 were believed to have been "company houses," owned by the Web Shop (where the parkway now crosses Whitney Avenue), and occupied by the factory's employees.
Posted 8/24/12
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| 36 School Street (Vision Appraisal) |
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The First Roster of the 42-Hour Schedule Was Guarded Like the Manhattan Project
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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October 6, 1970
Exact reproduction of original document
During the months and weeks leading up to the Department's transition to a 42-hour workweek, the contents of this roster was a closely guarded secret. Everyone on the department was going get an assignment letter, but no one, except the Chief and the Deputies, had any idea of the platoon where they'd be assigned. Rumors were flying.
Inevitably, a few guys would remain where they were already assigned, maybe even with the same officer. But the majority of personnel would be working at different stations and everyone would be working with different personnel from their previous assignments.
Men working on different platoons sometimes shared a part-time job on the outside. Guys sharing a part-time job were especially eager to know their new assignments. Being assigned to the same platoon would prevent them from sharing a part-time job on the outside. And in that era, most Hamden firefighters needed a second job in order to make ends meet.
The 42-hour workweek was a blessing to all line personnel, for the first time giving them nearly the same amount of free time as those working in the private sector. It also opened up an unprecedented number of promotional opportunities in all officer ranks below that of Chief. The new 4th Platoon would require one deputy chief, one captain, and two lieutenants, all of whom would come from the existing three platoons under Civil Service rules and testing. And those moving up into those new positions would create additional vacancies for another captain and two more lieutenants.
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Civil Service rules that were revised in 1967 dictated that all future deputy chiefs could be selected only from among the department's captains. Previously, captains and lieutenants were all eligible for that position. Effective October 6, 1970, Captain Francis "Chalky" Leddy became deputy chief of the new 4th Platoon. Following civil service tests that were conducted for captain and lieutenant, Lieutenants Kenneth Harrington and Joseph McDermott were promoted to captain; and Firefighters Fiore Cubbellotti, Thomas Doherty, David Herrmann and Gilbert Spencer were promoted to lieutenant.
IFSTA manuals sold like hotcakes once again in 1984, with the creation of four new lieutenant positions and numerous officer retirements in all ranks, which resulted in a new Chief, two promotions to deputy chief (renamed "Commander"), four promotions to captain, and eight promotions to lieutenant - all before the year was out. More on that in a few weeks.
Posted 8/24/12
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Building on last week's article about the coming of Sears to Hamden, which changed Hamden's commercial landscape forever, Gil Spencer provided this interesting photo of what was there before the Sears store was built. The Peters' Farm Market, at 2335 Dixwell Avenue, was located approximately where the Sears Automotive Service Center was built - opposite, and a little south of, the main entrance to the Hamden Mart.
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| (Courtesy of Gilbert Spencer) |
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