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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FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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Connecticut Fire Officers' Weekend
April 7-9, 1989 - Emmitsburg, Maryland
For several years on the second weekend of each April, the National Fire Academy at Emmitsburg, Maryland hosted fire officers from Connecticut, offering courses in leadership, strategies and tactics, hazardous materials, incident command - you name it.
Students arrived Friday afternoon. Following a get-acquainted Friday night mixer, everyone found his bunk in the dorm rooms of the former all-girl school. Classes began early Saturday morning. Following lunch, classes continued until late afternoon, concluding Sunday morning. Everyone was headed home by early Sunday afternoon.
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| Sunday, April 9, 1989 (CLICK to enlarge) |
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The 1989 Hamden contingent to the Connecticut Fire Officers' Weekend at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD. L-R: Dave Johnson, Gil Spencer, Don LaBanca, Bill Coppola, Clark Hurlburt, Ron Wetmore (Co. 7), Don Buechele, Carl Backus, Vic Mitchell (Co. 7), Tom Doherty, Bernie Amatrudo, and Dennis Harrison. Ron and Vic of Co. 7 were also fire officers at the Milford and Sikorsky fire departments, respectively.
All are now retired, except Amatrudo, LaBanca and Wetmore, who is now a Milford F.D. Battalion Chief.
Originally Posted 5/3/10
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The Lunch Menu (Woof!)
On Saturday afternoon, dozens of fire officers from all over Connecticut filed into the cafeteria for lunch. Before picking up a tray and utensils, each man inspected the menu listed on one of those old-fashioned black menu signs once found in diners - the kind with those white plastic letters pressed into the grooves of each line.
The two meal choices that afternoon were "Chinese Pepper Steak" and "Baked Cod."
Those in attendance will never forget it. While standing in line, a Hamden lieutenant modified one of the meal choices by substituting just two letters. We understand the cafeteria that afternoon ended up with a surplus of the fish entrees.
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RIDE WITH LARRY
Here is an opportunity to view the documentary of Larry Smith's inspiring bicycle journey across South Dakota, and benefit Parkinson's research at the same time.
To those of us who served on the Hamden Fire Department and may not have known Larry, he was a great guy who was stricken with Parkinson's while still a Captain on the Hamden Police Department. Larry retired to South Dakota, where he operated a bakery for many years and made many new friends (not a hard accomplishment if you knew Larry).
Come and see this inspiring story of
courage, character and life.
"Ride With Larry" will be screened on Wednesday, April 15th, at 5 p.m. in the Ceremonial Room at the Quinnipiac University School of Law, 370 Bassett Road, North Haven. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
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| c. 1982 - Ffs. Charlie Esposito, Frank Critchett and John Corbett testing foam on Sherman Avenue. Photo by Ed Doiron, Jr. (CLICK to enlarge) |
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| September 6, 1980 - Motorized steamer in action at Engine 260 Muster. Photo by Harold Wheatley (CLICK to enlarge) |
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April 1978
Ff. Howie Hurlburt, Jr. employs a Halligan bar to make an opening for the jaws of Hamden's first brand new Hurst tool. Click on this photo to view more photos from this training exercise, which were provided several years ago by Richie Lostritto, who was Supt. of Alarms and Apparatus.
Posted 4/3/2015
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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NOTICE TO OUR REGULAR WEBSITE VISITORS: Since this website began publishing on June 16, 2009, over 600 unique pages of features and articles have been prepared and published, including 207 weekly and interim updates since April 1, 2011. Now the webmeister needs to throttle back a bit.
HFRA website updates will continue to be published on a regular basis, only less frequently. Next Friday's April 17th update will be the website's last weekly update until further notice. Starting May 1st, and until further notice, HFRA website updates will be done twice monthly, on the first and third Fridays only.
As always, important interim announcements will be posted immediately. Special editions may be posted from time to time, whenever major events or significant anniversaries occur. So please check back between regular semi-monthly postings.
Hoping our web visitors will continue to enjoy the site. Contributions, comments and suggestions are always welcome.
DGJ
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26th Meeting of the HFRA
April 8, 2015 at the Elks
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| CLICK to enlarge (if you really want to) |
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Sitting: Tom Doherty, Doug Yocher, Ray Dobbs, Bob Viglione and Bob Mordecai - Standing: Ray Chase, Carl Backus,
Paul Frodel, Austin Williams, Harold Mangler, Jim Leddy, John Poe, Gil Spencer, Dave Johnson and Ed Doiron.
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Author with Hamden roots brings early 20th Century
Hamden back to life in "The Web Shop"
Hamden Fire Department Featured
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A recently published novel should pique the interest of any history-minded Hamdenite, and anyone else who enjoys a good story, with a murder or two thrown in.
"The Web Shop," by author Louis E. Tagliaferri, is a fictionalized account of Italian immigrants during an early 20th century labor vs. management struggle in Hamden's Web Shop, a long-gone landmark that was once Hamden's largest employer.
The Web Shop manufactured various kinds of fabric goods. The massive factory complex stood beside the Mill River on the east side of Whitney Avenue from 1876 until 1940, when it was razed to make way for the Wilbur Cross Parkway.
Having read our 2013 website article on the Web Shop, Mr. Tagliaferri contacted the HFRA and the Hamden Historical Society hoping to acquire some photos of the old factory. He also requested technical assistance for his novel, as one of the subplots involves a response by the Hamden Fire Department in its earliest days. Both organizations were happy to oblige.
Celebrating his own Italian heritage, Mr. Tagliaferri has infused some of his own Hamden ancestors and many of their acquaintances into his story, sharing with the reader many facets of Italian family life and work life in early twentieth century Hamden.
The author captures a feel for the times. The reader follows characters on trolley rides to Savin Rock, and on a pleasant Sunday trip to Sleeping Giant that was preceded by an embarrassing but hilarious incident during Mass at the old Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
Other ethnicities are also well represented in this patchwork of early Hamden, including the Norwegian-born assistant foreman who champions his fellow workers' concerns, the Scottish-born Manufacturing Manager and his Irish-born secretary (and later wife), who clearly sympathize with many of the workers' grievances.
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| The Web Shop in 1904 |
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But all are at the mercy of a truly despotic and paranoid boss, a stereotypical descendant of early New England settlers who, at the peril of the Web Shop, makes the lives of his workers miserable. And he is not the only villain in the story, which winds its way from a small European village to our small town just north of New Haven.
In much the same way that E.L. Doctorow wove fictional and real characters and events throughout his 1975 novel, "Ragtime," Mr. Tagliaferri takes some real Hamden people of the early 1900s and makes them actual characters in his novel, which takes place against the backdrop of the real Web Shop in Hamden, Connecticut.
The author provides fascinating and frequently disturbing insights into the lives of average factory workers in those days, from what the various and often dangerous Web Shop tasks entailed to the way the employees were treated when there was no union to monitor their safety and ensure job security. These, along with the disappearance of a factory foreman, who could be best described in 21st century jargon as a "dirtbag," are major elements in Louis Tagliaferri's story of "The Web Shop," the ending of which may yield some surprises for you.
"The Web Shop" is a really fun read for anyone who enjoys the history of our town and a good mystery at the same time. It is available at Barnes & Noble and from Amazon in both print and Kindle editions.
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At last, an image showing the Centerville fire station next to the old town hall!
The postcard photo below shows the Centerville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 4 firehouse (middle building), situated immediately north of the old Hamden Town Hall. Thus far, this is the only known image showing both buildings together in one photo. This photo was most likely taken between 1913, when the building at the far right was built, and 1918, when a WWI honor roll was erected in front of the town hall.
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| Postcard image from the James Strain family, courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society |
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The old Town Hall, erected in 1888, was designed by architect David R. Brown and cost $12,872.88. The firehouse and the old town hall were both razed in 1924 when the present Memorial Town Hall was built. The building at the far right was torn down two years ago to make way for an addition to Eli's Restaurant.
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Spark Time
The photo of this beautiful brand new 1939 American-LaFrance Series 500 pumper was taken August 20, 1939 at the Connecticut State Firemen's Association Convention Parade at Bridgeport. The Series 500 apparatus were introduced in June 1938.
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| Photo by G. Donald Steele |
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The lettering on the hood might elicit a chuckle, perhaps even a remark like, "Well, at least they got it out before 'the Wall' went up." But seriously, from an historical viuewpoint, this photo was taken exactly two weeks before England declared war against Germany for its invasion of Poland two days earlier. The ensuing six-year worldwide chaos would eventually result in the creation of the more (in)famous East Berlin.
Posted 4/10/15
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This week's update will be the website's last weekly update until further notice. Starting May 1st, HFRA website updates will be done twice monthly, on the first and third Fridays only.
As always, important interim announcements will be posted immediately. Special editions may be posted from time to time, whenever major events or significant anniversaries occur.
So please check back between regular semi-monthly postings. Hoping our web visitors will continue to enjoy the site. Contributions, comments and suggestions are always 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, APRIL 17, 2015
Henceforth, this website will be updated every first and third Friday.
Important interim updates will be posted when necessary.
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| B/C LaBanca |
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Hamden's Most Senior Firefighter Will Retire April 30th
Battalion Chief Donald LaBanca, who started his Hamden Fire Department career on May 28, 1978, will hang up his bunker gear at the end of this month. Chief LaBanca was promoted to lieutenant in 1984, captain in 1993 and battalion chief in 2006. Having already acquired a reputation as an aggressive firefighter, in 1985, then-Lieut. LaBanca and his Engine 2 crew rescued a pregnant woman from the third floor of an Edwards Street house that was well involved when they arrived on scene.
The members of the HFRA wish Donny a long, happy and healthy retirement! (See you at the July 7th meeting, Don!)
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| Photo by John Mongillo, Jr. |
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H & D Paper Products Co.
110 Webb Street
April 20-21, 1969
On April 20-21, 1979, the Hamden Fire Department battled back-to-back fires at Corey's Lumber Co. and Howard Johnson's. Exactly ten years to the day earlier, on a quiet Sunday evening, one of the most spectacular blazes in Hamden Fire Department history struck the H&D Paper Products Co. at 110 Webb Street. The loss was estimated at $500,000.
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| February 19, 2012 - HFD Mountain Rescue Team |
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In 1991, students studying the art of food preparation at Eli Whitney Vocational Technical School presented the Station 2 crew of Platoon 1 with a special cake that looked a lot like Engine 2. Standing (L-R) are Ff. Dick Carney, Ff. Tim O'Flynn, Capt. Mike Ambriscoe, Ff. Gary Couture and Ff. Bill Davin. Lieut Dennis Baker, seated between two unidentified civilians, is about to do the honors.
(Photo courtesy of Dennis Baker)
Posted 4/17/15
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| April 1938 - New Seagrave 600 GPM Pumper |
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Hamden purchased two new pieces of apparatus in 1938. On February 26th, the new "Emergency Squad" was delivered by the Wood Engineering Service of Topsfield, Massachusetts. It was the earliest ancestor of today's rescue units, and cost $1,976.
The Squad was equipped with a booster reel and a 150 g.p.m. pump. Stationed at Headquarters, the squad rolled on all alarms in town.
A few weeks later, on April 12th, Hamden took delivery of a new Seagrave 600 g.p.m. "canopy-cab" pumper that cost $7,524. The new Seagrave replaced the 1925 Seagrave "Suburbanite" 350 g.p.m. pumper that had been Engine 4 since it was new.
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After a new 150 g.p.m. pump was installed on the '25 Seagrave, it was assigned to Dunbar Hill Vol. Co. 8, replacing the 1918 Stewart chemical truck it had inherited from Co. 5 in 1930.
On June 13, 1939, a new 500 g.p.m. Diamond-T pumper costing $4,500 was delivered to Headquarters. The 1938 Seagrave was transferred to Station 2, where it replaced the 1919 Seagrave 750 g.p.m. pumper, which was the first piece of apparatus paid for by the town.
Co. 5's "Patrol Wagon," on a 1921 Packard Twin-6 chassis, was still listed in a 1936 notation. It was gone by the end of the decade, at which time the 1919 Seagrave spare pumper was moved to Station 5.
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Hamden Fire Department
Apparatus Inventory
1940
Station 1 – Highwood
Engine 1 – 1926 Maxim 500 g.p.m. pumper
Ladder 1 – 1926 Maxim city service ladder truck
Station 2 – Humphrey
Engine 2 – 1938 Seagrave 600 g.p.m. pumper - Delivered 4/12/38 - $7,524
Station 3 – Whitneyville
Engine 3 – 1928 Maxim 750 g.p.m. pumper
Station 4 (Headquarters) – Centerville
Engine 4 – 1939 Diamond-T 500 g.p.m. pumper - Delivered 6/13/39 - $4,500
Squad – 1938 Diamond-T e/w 150 g.p.m. pump - Purchased 2/26/38 - $1,976
Station 5 – Mt. Carmel
Engine 5 – 1930 Maxim 600 g.p.m. pumper
Spare - 1919 Seagrave 750 g.p.m. pumper
Station 6 – Merritt Street
Engine 6 - 1924 Stutz 350 g.p.m. pumper
Station 7 – Mix District
Engine 7 – 1935 Dodge 150 g.p.m. pumper
Station 8 – Dunbar Hill
Engine 8 – 1925 Seagrave 150 g.p.m. pumper
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Spark Time
Wilton's Diamond-T pumper - it's either a '38 or '39 - is a virtual clone of Hamden's 1939 Diamond-T pumper (pictured above) delivered two months earlier. Hamden's pumper did not sport rear fender skirts like the beauty below, but Hamden's 1941 Diamond-T city service ladder truck, delivered three years later, did feature that flashy extra. The skirts disappeared by 1948.
Like last week's "Spark" feature, this photo was taken August 20, 1939 at the Connecticut State Firemen's Association Convention Parade at Bridgeport and was made available through the courtesy of G. Donald Steele. (More to come, of course.)
Posted 4/17/15
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