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FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2019
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
Next regular update is Friday, April 5th.
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HGSRA members, CLICK HERE for an important announcement from your Exec. Board members.
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HFRA Spring Meeting
Thursday, April 11th, 5 PM
Hamden Elks' Lodge
175 School Street
PIZZA! - Free!!
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Local 2687's Annual Retirement Dinner
No. 1 Firefighter and Hamden's 8th Fire Chief Honored
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| Gilson & Recca |
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Last Saturday night, a huge gathering of active and retired Hamden firefighters at Seasons Restaurant in East Haven honored the careers of 38-year department veteran, Maurice "Jay" Connolly and Chief David Berardesca who, for 12 years, served as Hamden's 8th fire chief. Retired Dep. Marshal Tim Lunn was also among the honorees but was unable to attend.
Kudos to Kevin Recca and Brian Gilson for their efforts to arrange and organize yet another outstanding Local 2687 Retirement Dinner. Thank you, Guys!
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Four members of the Connecticut Firefighters Pipes and Drums opened the evening's festivities. From left to right, they are HFD Captain Ed Evers, HFD Lieut. Mike Dowling, Ken Blake of the Ansonia Fire Dept. on snare drum, and Ryan Paretti of the Manchester Fire Dept on bass drum.
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As always, Local 2687 Vice-president Dave Beaton did an outstanding job emceeing the affair. Before the presentations began, Dave offered some noteworthy facts about Hamden's fire service:
- The department responded to nearly 12,000 calls in 2018 - a department record.
- According to the training officer, Lt. Charles Lubowicki Jr., Hamden has the best percentage of "code saves" of any department in New Haven county.
- When the Mayor came to the union for help, it was Local 2687 that gave over $800,000 in concessions, the second payback in two budget years.
- Doug O'Rourke was just elected as a director in the Connecticut Firefighters Peer Support Network.
- Pete Lynch and his guys at Station 2 go out each year to purchase gifts at Christmastime for needy Hamden families.
- Dave Wood, who is also brew-master at Bar in New Haven, developed a special brew that raised $2,500 to benefit the family of a firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty.
- Craig Smart is the head of the department's Honor Guard, consisting of active and retired brothers who honor our departed brothers at wakes and funerals.
- Dave praised the Fire Marshal's Office for having been able to inspect every multiple family dwelling (3-families or more) in the town during the past year, a truly Herculean task.
- Jason Davis and Matt Sarracco were able to secure grants to obtain fitness equipment for every fire station.
These were just a few in a long list of noteworthy department personnel and accomplishments of the past year. Then the focus was on recognizing two memorable department members who retired in 2018:
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| Jay is presented with a framed certificate from Local 2687 President Kurt Vogt and V.P. Dave Beaton acknowledging his retirement and 38 years of service. |
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Firefighter Maurice "Jay" Connolly
| Chief David A. Berardesca
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Local 2687 President Kurt Vogt presents Jay with a framed certificate from the local honoring his 38 years of service. When a long-standing tradition was restored several years ago, Jay was presented with Badge No. 1, as the department's most senior Firefighter. Indeed, Jay Connolly was most senior of all department personnel. (Firefighter Vogt now holds Badge No. 1)
| Chief Gary Merwede congratulates his predecessor, retired Chief David Berardesca, who holds the retirement certificate from Local 2687, presented to him earlier by local President Kurt Vogt. In his remarks, Chief Berardesca expressed sincere thanks and praise to the personnel of the department he led for twelve years.
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| Jay Connolly and friend |
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| Chief Berardesca with his wife Opal and daughter Natalie, who just received her doctorate in nursing. The next day, Natalie departed for Ecaudor, where she will be working with Doctors Without Borders. |
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| Retirement Badge |
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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CLICK HERE for more photos of the 2019 Local 2687 Annual Retirement Dinner.
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| Local 2687 Charter dated March 19, 1979 - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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Smeal 1500/1000
Placed in service March 25, 2019
When Hamden's newest pumper was placed in service last Monday morning at 0900, the department could boast of its youngest fleet of front line career apparatus since 1926. The new Engine 9 is a 2019 Smeal, rated at 1,500 GPM, carrying 1,000 gallons of water.
Posted 3/29/2019
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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Firefighter Kim Talmadge stops new Engine 9 in front of Station 9 as Lieut. Mike Dowling prepares to guide it onto the ramp.
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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Chief Gary Merwede with Engine 9 crew, Firefighter Dan Mota, Firefighter Kim Talmadge, and Lieut. Mike Dowling.
| Chief Merwede, retired Batt. Chief Tom Doherty, Lieut. Dowling, and Commissioner Jim O'Brien.
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70 Years Ago!
The Carwin Chemical Co.
41 Stiles Lane, North Haven
Wednesday, March 30, 1949
The Hamden Fire Department responded to North Haven's Carwin Chemical Co., located at the end of Stiles Lane, which runs east of State Street opposite the end of Dixwell Avenue. Ironically, Hamden and North Haven fire oficials had met two weeks earlier and decided to discontinue Hamden's coverage of certain areas of North Haven as of the following October 1.
Originally posted 3/28/14
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| The Hamden Chronicle, March 31, 1949 (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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The Stiles Lane site of the Carwin Chemical Co. was later occupied by the Upjohn Chemical Corp., which ceased operations in 1993. Recently the site has been undergoing a massive and very expensive decontamination.
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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 on September 11, 2001.
Always keep them, their families and the FDNY in your thoughts and prayers.
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