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, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Please check out two upcoming events to benefit two of our fellow Hamden guardian services brothers. One is a fundraiser for a Hamden police officer who's battling esophageal cancer; the other to benefit Parkinson's research in honor of a courageous and revered HPD retiree.
(Stories further down)
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30 years Ago!
27 Edwards Street
Saturday, February 9, 1985
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Pregnant woman trapped on top floor rescued from certain death by firefighters
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| © 1985 - The New Haven Register - Photos by Kirby Kennedy and John Mongillo, Jr. (Courtesy of Jim Moore) |
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Five firefighters were injured while fighting this two-alarm blaze in a three family house at 27 Edwards Street. Several occupants were rescued, including a 23-year old woman who was trapped on the third floor.
According to The Hamden Chronicle, "Firefighters Wayne Lowry, Carl Backus and James Moore reached the third floor through the front staircase of the building and broke down the locked door behind which the woman, Donna Williams, was trapped."
The extreme cold and icy conditions made this an especially trecherous job for the 35 firefighters who were on the scene. News accounts stated that near zero temperatures and very high winds brought the wind chill to minus 35 degrees.
Several inch and three-quarter lines were stretched up the front and rear stairways for an interior attack that kept flames from the unburnt portions of the building. A master stream from the ladder pipe of Truck 1, subbing for the out-of-service Truck 2, successfully protected an adjacent building only a few feet from the fire building. Thirteen residents were relocated through the Red Cross.
Joe Ciscone, a veteran of the East Haven Fire Department, was on the scene that day and took some amazing photos. We are very grateful to Joe for allowing our website to post his photos, which are copyrighted © 2009 by Joe Ciscone.
A total of 17 of Joe's photos of the Edwards Street fire, as well as 25 photos of the French-Italian fire two weeks earlier, are all available for purchase from Joe's website.
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| The Hamden Chronicle, February 13, 1985 - The injured firefighter in the above photo was John O'Dea. |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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| Photo by Joe Ciscone - (c) 2009 Joe Ciscone |
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The day of this fire Truck 2, Hamden's 1970 Maxim 100' aerial, was out of service for repairs. Truck 1, at right in the above photo, was Hamden's 28 year old Maxim "junior" aerial. It was actually still in service at Station 9, but ran out of Station 3 while Truck 1 was being repaired.
Later in 1985, the older truck would become a spare and the 1970 truck, re-designated "Truck 1," would become Hamden's sole active ladder company. Both trucks were removed from service by 1990.
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Events to help our fellow Hamden guardian services brothers . . .
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Feb. 18th Hamden PBA Fundraiser for
Hamden Police Officer Battling Cancer
| Ride With Larry Film Documentary
to be Shown Locally in April
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| Tickets available at the door, or donations may be mailed to Hamden PBA, PO Box 295, Hamden, CT 06518 - Attn: Gery Fundraiser |
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| Retired HPD Capt. Larry Smith - CLICK to view HFRA's Nov. 2010 story with links about Larry's anticipated ride |
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Retired Hamden police officer Glenn Kaas informs us that he has received a copy of the documentary Ride With Larry, which chronicles retired HPD Capt. Larry Smith's heroic battle with Parkinson's and his ride across South Dakota on his three-wheel bike. Glenn and his wife Carrie have arranged to show the film as a fund-raiser for Parkinson's Disease.
The Parkinson's Fundraiser will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15th at the new Quinnipiac Law School/Med School campus in North Haven (former Blue Cross building). Doors will open at 4:30.
There will be snacks and a discussion period following the film. Glenn added, "We hope to get Larry and Betty Smith on SKYPE to join in."
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Daw Packing Co.
School Street and Washington Avenue
Friday, February 3, 1978
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In the early hours of Friday, February 3, 1978, Engine 4 on Platoon 3, under the command of Capt. Tom Doherty, was first in for a basement fire at the Daw Packing Co. on the corner of School Street and Washington Avenue.
For the second time in six months, gas service created a major problem for Hamden firefighters. An October 1977 explosion caused by leaking gas destroyed an apartment in Whitneyville. In this emergency, a ruptured gas line fed the fire for more than four hours. Zero degree temperatures and a two-week old accumulation of heavy snow and ice had made it impossible for Southern Connecticut Gas Co. employees to locate and turn off the building's gas service.
Three days later, Connecticut was treated to the infamous "Blizzard of '78," which dumped more than two feet of snow on Hamden and paralyzed state roads for several days.
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| © The New Haven Register - Friday, February 3, 1978 |
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| © 1978 - The New Haven Register |
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| © The Hamden Chronicle - February 10, 1978 |
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| September 1950 - The Hamden Chronicle (Courtesy of the Hamden Historical Society) |
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| Site of the Daw Packing Company building today. |
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Looks Like Izzy Got Here First!
It would appear that prolific New Haven area news photographer I.A. "Izzy" Sneiderman arrived at this Kimberly Road (off West Woods Road) house fire before Engine 5 on Saturday, September 3, 1960. At the time, Sneiderman lived right across Still Hill Road from the West Woods Volunteer firehouse. Over a career of several decades, he documented hundreds of New Haven area fires and other emergencies. Many Sneiderman photos are featured throughout this website.
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Actually, firefighters had great difficulty extinguishing this fire because of unusual terrain and inadequate water, and it was well involved when first reported.
Website thanks to Dep. Chief Gary Merwede for providing this and numerous other Sneideman photos, which will be posted in the future.
Revised 8/2/18
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Hamden's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) provides rehab and support for Hamden's
career and volunteer firefighters. This will be CERT's 8th class over its 10 years of existence.
We are asking for applications to be returned by February 5th.
PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT . . .
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Ff. Tricarico Sworn in as Assistant Superintendent
February 13 - A large turnout of department members joined family members at the Friday morning swearing-in of Firefighter Glen Tricarico as the department's Assistant Superintendent of Apparatus. A fifteen year veteran of the department, Asst. Supt. Tricarico fills the vacancy created when Supt. Jim LaFond was promoted last month following the retirement of Supt. Donald Buechele. A new firefighter is expected to be appointed soon to replace Tricarico's position on the line.
The Hamden Fire Retirees Association wishes Glen all the very best in his new position.
Posted 2/13/15
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| The oath is administered by Town Clerk Very Morrison |
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| Asst. Supt. Tricarico, flanked by D/C Merwede and Chief Berardesca |
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| Bobby Macauley and Ronnie Altieri beside Engine 2 in April 1976. Our lieutenant was Walt Macdowall. Only 33 at the time, Walt was the youngest officer on the department. He also was one of Hamden's first four certified paramedics. |
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60 Years Ago!
Butterworth "Mansion" - Tuttle Avenue
February 15, 1955
Water supply was the problem then, before, and since!
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| Front Page - New Haven Evening Register, Tuesday, February 15, 1955 (Courtesy of G. Donald Steele) |
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| Register clipping from G. Donald Steele / Original glossy of I.A. Sneiderman photo from D/C Gary Merwede |
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For the next edition of the IFSTA manual?
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| Gee, why didn't we ever think of this? |
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February 11, 1952 - Cheshire Calls for Mutual Aid
In its earliest days, our town's award-winning weekly newspaper, The Hamden Chronicle, also covered local news of North Haven and Cheshire. So it was big news in Hamden when Cheshire's legendary Waverly Inn caught fire in the middle of a bitter cold winter night in 1952. In the finest traditions of the fire service, firefighters from Hamden and other neighboring towns, including Waterbury, answered the call for help.
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| Calvert photo courtesy of D/C Gary Merwede |
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Hamden firefighters and firefighters from virtually every other surrounding town responded "mutual aid" to Cheshire on Monday, February 11, 1952, when fire destroyed the Waverly Inn, a very popular restaurant on Maple Avenue. Thought to be the work of a "fire bug," this was was the fourth in a string of suspicious fires that had plagued the town since the previous December.
The Waverly Inn was rebuilt and ready for occupancy in about seven months. Decades later it became the Waverly Tavern, a banquet hall for special occasions. It went out of business a few years ago. In January 2012, the business reopened in the same Maple Avenue location - once again as the Waverly Inn.
Originally posted 2/10/12 - Revised 2/13/15
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| The Hamden Chronicle, Feb. 14, 1952 (Hamden Historical Society) |
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Remembering #16
Friday, February 13 - The website received these photos earlier today from the Florida home of HFRA President-Emeritus Mark Barletta, who is a well-known a respected flag aficionado. To honor the 206th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, Mark flew the 33-star US flag that was current when the War Between the States began in 1861. Mark says he sent away from this 200th anniversary Lincoln flag in '09 and just received it. Perhaps Betsy Ross was still working on it.
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Spark Time
This open cab Mack pumper belonging to the B.F. Hoxie Engine Co. No. 1 of Mystic is another of Chan Brainard's photos from the 1955 Connecticut State Firemen's Convention Parade held at West Haven. Does anyone know anything about this apparatus?
Posted 2/13/15
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| Mystic's B.F. Hoxie Hose Co. No. 1's open cab Mack on Campbell Avenue, West Haven |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Oil Truck Emergency
Ridge Road, between Park Rd. and State St.
Tuesday, February 23, 1943
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| In front of 81 Ridge Road |
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| The story behind this heavily damaged oil truck is unclear, but it may involve the Olds roadster in the background. The handline lying in the road was probably off Co. 6's 1926 Maxim pumper (see photo below), a recent hand-me-down from the Highwood company.
This I.A. Sneiderman photo, courtesy of D/C Gary Merwede, shows three fairly new homes on the northeast side of Ridge Road. The vacant lot after the third house would be the site of two more new homes by 1952.
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| Same view - February 19, 2015 |
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CLICK on either photo to enlarge
Posted 2/20/15
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| Ff. Joseph Marchito ("Joe Marcks") and Ff. Clem Kammerer aboard the 1926 Maxim on a 1939 visit to Sta. 3 on Putnam Ave. |
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This 1926 Maxim equipped with a 500 GPM rotary gear pump was purchased new for Highwood Co. 1. It was transferred to Merritt Street Co. 6 in 1942, where it remained for ten years. It was then housed as a spare at Whitneyville until January 18, 1954, when it was traded in for $900 toward the purchase of a new Maxim 750 GPM S Model.
Posted 2/20/15
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| Ff/Paramedic Pereira |
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Good Luck, Greg!
February 28th will mark the official last day on the job for 20-year veteran Firefighter/Paramedic Greg Pereira. Greg's retirement was approved at the February 11th meeting of the Hamden Retirement Board, where HFD representative Capt. Greg Bannon praised Ff. Pereira for his dedication as a firefighter and having maintained his paramedic certification during his entire twenty years of service. The HFRA wishes Greg many happy and healthy years of retirement.
Posted 2/20/15
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February 15, 1968
Department members collected $4,300 during January M.D.A. Campaign
(and that was 47 years ago!)
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| L-R: Ray Vreeland, Milner Benham, D/C George Reutenauer, Paul Reutenauer, Gil Spencer, Bob "Whitey" Williams, and Charlie Esposito - CLICK to view MDA video. |
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Since the 1960s, Hamden firefighters have been enthusiastic supporters of the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraising activities. CLICK on this photo to view two 1980s check presentations by Local 2687 president, John Corbett, during the annual Jerry Lewis MDA telethons.
Reposted 2/20/15
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Sharron's Restaurant
421 Morse Street
February 23, 1957
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| Ana-Film Studio Photo courtesy of D/C Gary Merwede |
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| According to an article in the New Haven Evening Register, improperly stored rubbish was the cause of a fire that did "considerable damage" to the exterior of 421 Morse Street, which housed Sharron's Restaurant on the first floor and a couple of apartments above.
Adjacent to the old Canal Line, this building is long gone, having been replaced by a newer garage-style building that is part of Tint Works at 921-923 Dixwell Avenue. But the three-family apartment across the street in the 1957 photo still survives (below).
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| February 19, 2015 |
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CLICK on either photo to enlarge
Posted 2/20/15
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Battle of Iwo Jima began
70 years ago this week
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We remember our fallen
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| Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc. |
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| CLICK here for daily flag status |
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Website is updated every Friday - Important interim updates will be posted when necessary
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| CLICK to monitor HFD radio |
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Lynn Motors
925 Dixwell Avenue
Thursday, March 2, 1950
Massive Used Car Lot Fire 65 Years Ago
Antique car lovers will cringe when they see some of these photos of the infamous Lynn Motors fire. Many cars that were just plain "old" in 1950 would have been valuable collectors items today. The car lot was located just north of Morse Street, directly across Dixwell Avenue from St. Ann's Church, a stone's throw from the Highwood fire station that would close 19 months later. Most of these photos came from Local 2687.
Posted 2/27/15
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| New Haven Register article courtesy of the Family of Sid Trower |
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| It's a '39 Buick! |
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| The fellow in the white helmet is most likely Capt. Everett Doherty |
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| Courtesy of the family of Sid Trower |
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70 Years Ago
February 25, 1945
Putting things in a historical perspective, as U.S. Marines were battling Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Hamden fire and police officials were investigating this trailer fire that resulted in a fatality. Hamden's newly appointed Fire Marshal, Captain Al Purce, is seen with an unidentified Hamden police officer.
Details did not accompany the photo, which was provided through the courtesy of D/C Gary Merwede. Further research will be done once access to parking for the New Haven Library is more readily available.
Posted 2/27/15
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| I.A. Sneiderman photo courtesy of D/C Gary Merwede |
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Last Day on the Job for a Dedicated Hamden Firefighter
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| Photos by Daryl Osiecki |
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| Retired Supt. of Alarms & Apparatus Richie Lostritto sent this photo he took outside the Shop in 1982. On the left is Larry Gershman, who would become the department's first hydrant maintainer in 1986. The smiling guy is then-Firefighter Bob Mordecai, who was working extra in the Shop that day. Bob is now president of the HFRA. |
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