We are in the process of archiving all weekly updates by the month. All of the weekly updates for this month are on this page.
Just scroll down to locate the desired update.
July 2021
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 3, 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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December 1964 - Icy Dog Rescue on Lake Whitney
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| Photo from the HFRA archives. Photographer unknown. CLICK to enlarge. |
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This photo had been in the HFRA archives for years, but it contained no IDs or date. A few months back, retiree John O'Hare allowed us to scan a few news articles of his. One of them included this photo, which was published in the December 11, 1964 edition of the New Haven Journal-Courier.
John is shown in the bow of the Department's rowboat while Lieut. Danny O'Connell rows on an icy Lake Whitney just after they rescued a five-year old Labrador retriever named "Traze," belonging Chris Pedersen of 71 Augur Street.
According to the article, "Lt. O'Connell said Thursday night that the rescuers had to row about 200 feet out into the lake, where the canine was swimming in a hole in the ice.
"O'Connell said the boat was almost swamped when O'Hare attempted to lift the dog in. Once inside the boat, the grateful dog sat quietly until shore was reached."
Posted 5/3/13
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45 Years Ago!
Maselli Fireplace Center
3547 Whitney Avenue
May 1, 1968
The quarried head of Sleeping Giant literally provides the backdrop for this photo. This early evening fire was not a big one, but it was a nasty one that did a lot of damage to merchandise stored in the basement of the Maselli Fireplace Center on the east side of Whitney Avenue, just north of West Woods Road.
Posted 5/3/13
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40 Years Ago!
On Saturday, May 5, 1973, Hamden Lieut. Gilbert Spencer and Firefighters Dave Howe, Ed Doiron and Tony Melillo assisted New Haven Fire Department Drillmaster, Capt. Charles Doll, with numerous live fire exercises for seventeen members of Co. 5 at the Hamilton Street training ground. Many of the exercises were documented by Ed Doiron in several dozen slides, some of which can be viewed by clicked on this photo.
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| Photo by Ed Doiron, Sr. / CLICK for more photos. |
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35 Years Ago!
As a bona fide member of the department, HFD Chaplain Owen Sanderson has always pitched in. This nasty ground cover fire in the West Rock area 35 year ago was no exception. The "almost antique" truck in the photo was Co. 7's 1935 Dodge, which was still in service in '78, and is still around today. But, like most of us who were active in 1978, the '35 Dodge is now retired.
The lower photo could be captioned, "Sometimes you just have to improvise."
Posted 5/3/13
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| Article courtesy of Gilbert Spencer |
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Telling Our Story on May 9th
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The First 100 Years of Hamden Firefighters - the History, the Evolution, and Memorable Events will be the subject of a Powerpoint presentation by your webmaster at the annual meeting of the Hamden Historical Society NEXT Thursday evening, May 9th at 7 p.m. in the Senior Center Hall of the Miller Memorial Cultural Complex, 2901 Dixwell Avenue. Please enter through the rear entrance. No charge, and refreshments will be served. All - especially Hamden's fire retirees - are welcome!
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 10, 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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May 2013 - Platoon 3 at Station 2 - Ff/Paramedic Brett Rinehart, Lt. Adam Barletta, Ff. Davis, Ff. Larry Deburra, and Ff. Mike Sperl posed this week next to the new Engine 2, a 2013 Smeal 1,250 GPM pumper.
This new pumper replaces the 1997 3D HME, which is now Engine 1, the Department's spare.
Revised 8/25/21
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April 1988 - Platoon 2 at Station 2 - Ff. Tom Mikolinski, Ff. Tony D'Agostino, Ff. Jim Dunlop, Lt. Clark Hurlburt, Ff. Richard Greening, Ff/Paramedic Harold Prescher.
Re-posted 5/10/13
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One of Hamden's First Career Firefighters Told It Like It Was
(How 'bout a 168 Hour Workweek?)
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| New Haven Register, January 24, 1965 (Courtesy of Chan Brainard) - CLICK to enlarge for easier reading |
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| May 15, 1973 - Following civil service exams and the recent retirement of Dep Chief James Strain, Capt. Joseph McDermott was promoted to deputy chief, Lieut. Jack Laffin was promoted to captain, and Firefighter Walt Macdowall was promoted to lieutenant. |
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 17, 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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| Firefighter Ricky Kenyon 1969 |
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| It is with deep regret that we report the passing of our brother retiree, Richard "Ricky" Kenyon, in Florida, where he resided with his wife Lucy. Ricky was 68.
Ricky served on the Hamden Fire Department from July 1969 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.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky's wife Lucy and the rest of the Kenyon family.
Posted 5/22/13
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Ricky's obituary, published in The New Haven Register, is shown below.
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Richard W. Kenyon, Jr., 68, of Naples Florida, formerly of Hamden, husband of Luciana Maio Kenyon passed away in Florida unexpectedly on Thursday, May 16, 2013. 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.
Richard served in the U.S. Army for four years. He was a member of the Hamden Fire Department until his retirement, where he worked as an EMT and was a negotiator the local Union 2687 for several years. He was a life long Boston Red Sox fan.
Friends may greet the family on Friday from 9:30A.M. to 10:30A.M. at the Hamden Memorial Funeral Home, 1300 Dixwell Avenue, Hamden. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 11AM. Interment will follow in Centerville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations in Richard's name may be made to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492 or American Cancer Society, 1075 Chase Parkway #4, Waterbury, CT 06708. For online condolences please visit www.hamdenmemorialfh.com.
Published 5/22/13 in The New Haven Register
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May 19, 1957
Massive Cold War Era Civil Defense Exercise at Groton Sub Base
On Sunday, May 19, 1957, a statewide Civil Defense exercise was conducted at the U.S. Submarine Base at Groton. 105 pumpers from all over Connecticut included Hamden's 1954 Maxim, pictured below on a New Haven Railroad flatcar. This photo, shot by I.A. Sneiderman, was featured with several others in the New Haven Evening Register the following day. This original 8x10 photo is from the archives of the HFRA.
HFRA Honorary Member Chan Brainard donated these news articles to the HFRA, along with hundreds of other HFD articles from 1955 through the end of the century.
Posted 5/17/13
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CLICK on any of the articles below to enlarge them for easier reading.
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| Oct. 1968 - Ff. Bill Davin, Chief V. Paul Leddy, Commissioner Irving Saslow, and Lt. Jack Laffin pose in front of the '65 Mack at Headquarters to kick off Hamden's annual Muscular Dystrophy Assn. drive. (From the HFRA archives) |
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| Website thanks to Sally Hines Rowe for providing this October 18, 1956 news photo from the New Haven Evening Register. |
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 24, 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 all HFD retirees:
Once again, Local 2687 and Chief David Berardesca invite all HFD retirees who still have their dress blues to join the active HFD members in Hamden's Memorial Day Parade next Monday, May 27th. This year the Hamden Fire Department marching contingent will be leading the parade.
HFD personnel and retirees in their dress blues are asked to assemble on the sidewalk in front of the Hamden High School at 0900. The parade starts at 1000, and will proceed up Dixwell Avenue from the high school to Whitney Avenue.
Participation in Hamden's Memorial Day Parade has always been a tangible way for our firefighters to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of our country. It is also a time to remember our deceased brothers who once marched with us.
The weather for Memorial Day is predicted to be excellent with temps in the 60s. Last year we had several retirees in the line of march and we expect to have even more this year.
The HFRA wishes everyone has a safe and meaningful Memorial Day!
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HAMDEN GUARDIAN SERVICES RETIREES MEETING NOTICE
A meeting of the Hamden Guardian Services Retirees Association LLC will take place at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2630 Whitney Avenue, NEXT TUESDAY, May 28th at 7 p.m.
The Executive Board of the HGSRA will report on the status of the pension plan. It is very important that we remain informed on what the Town is (and isn't) doing regarding the pension funding.
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FIREFIGHTER RICHARD KENYON
1944 - 2013
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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.
Funeral services will be held today (Friday) at 11 AM 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 |
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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) |
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Modern EMS in Hamden probably began when the first of two International Travelal "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 Travelal, "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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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 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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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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