| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
| Next Meeting: Oct. 9th at 6 p.m. at the Elks.
Menu: Chicken Cutlet sandwich with LT, 2 sides homemade potato salad and coleslaw, brownies with dash of whipped cream - All for $6.00
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We are now the Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc.
We also have added website menu tabs for all shift calendars from 1970-present (Calendars),
and for certain milestone rosters of department personnel (Rosters).
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Another Era Has Ended
By the end of August, five voices familiar to us all signed off from KCG-711 for good. The five veteran Central Communications dispatchers, Brian Esposito, Chris Jones, Michelle (Martini) Lee, Bob Sjogren and Kirk Trofatter, all availed themselves of the retirement incentive offered by the town to more senior employees.
Dispatcher Brian Esposito, who frequently used the term "Fire Dispatcher" instead of "Central" while communicating with us, was the most senior of the five dispatcher retirees. Brian's first day on the job was Monday, August 16, 1982. He was also the last of the five to leave on the final day of August, which is when he treated the website to a glimpse at the new Central Communications located in the new wing of the old town hall building.
The HFRA wishes all five retired dispatchers a very long, happy and healthy retirement ("10-2").
Posted 9/14/12
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| Dispatcher Brian Esposito - Last Shift |
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CLICK on any of the five photos to enlarge.
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| Only Two Hours to Go! |
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| Fellow Retiree Bob Sjogren with Brian |
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| This status board is the 21st century descendant of the ancient magnetic labels. |
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| Just in case! The original running card file, placed in service in November 1981, is still available as an emergency back-up. |
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| CLICK to enlarge |
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| May 1, 1976
This roster came out as the nation was celebrating the United States Bicentennial. No personnel were retired or hired since the previous roster, although a few officers and firefighters were transferred. The primary significance of this roster is the reassignment to Station 5 of two firefighters from each platoon to man Truck 1, which had been assigned to Station 2 since it was delivered in December 1958. The move was made possible by the construction of a new annex to Station 5, completed the previous September, and the purchase and delivery of a new Rescue 2, which was assigned to the same Station 2 bay vacated by Truck 1 on April 9, 1976.
Posted 9/14/12
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| Truck 1 Goes to Mt. Carmel |
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Above - A beautifully restored 1923 Seagrave pumper, owned and operated by Mr. William Garrett of Plainfield, New Jersey, was the featured apparatus at the 41st Annual Engine 260 Muster last Saturday at Eisenhower Park in Milford.
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Below - Posing on the ramp of old Station 3 on Putnam Avenue, Firefighters Joseph Hromadka (standing) and Ed Kromer (at the wheel), are pictured in this 1939 photo of the 1919 Seagrave 750 GPM. The pumper was purchased in June 1919 for $12.500 for the Humphrey Volunteer Fire Assn. on Circular Avenue. This was the first motorized apparatus purchased by the town for one of its volunteer companies. The balloon tires replaced the original solid rubber tires in 1925. Because of the odd way the truck is parked on the ramp, the solid front axle conforms to the contour of the driveway apron in such a way that the right front wheel is very close to the fender.
This is the only known photo of this piece of apparatus. Unlike most retired Hamden apparatus, which were either traded in or junked, there is no record of when or how this pumper was disposed. We do recall that it was stored for a time at Mt. Carmel in the late 1950s, easily recognized by the fact that it was righthand drive with chain drive. Any other photos of this (or others) out there?
Posted 9/14/12
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| Hamden's 1919 Seagrave 750 |
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| Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society, this 1948 Hamden Chronicle photo is of a new business that is still operating here, although by another name. Any ideas? |
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