Hamden Fire Retirees' Assn.

Staying Connected · Preserving Our Past

HOME

HOME (Archived)

Action!

Alumni

Apparatus

CERT

Civil Defense

Contact Us

Dispatch/Communications

Fire Stations

1 - Highwood

2 - Humphrey

3 - Whitneyville (Putnam)

3 - Hartford Tpke

4 - Centerville (Hdqtrs)

5 - Mt. Carmel

6 - Merritt Street

7 - Mix District

8 - Dunbar Hill

9 - West Woods

Mascots

Hamden Then & Now

HFRA Pix

Spring 2010

Summer 2010

Autumn 2010

Winter 2011

Spring 2011

Summer 2011

Autumn 2011

Winter 2012

Spring 2012

Historical Notes

Members Only

Mountain Rescue Team

Off Duty Time

Parades

Past Articles

Photo Album

Public Education

Share Your Memories

Sparking Out

Special Events

1995 World Games

Training

Videos

We Remember

Web Links

   
 
Firefighter Fred Knudsen
30 Years Ago
HFD Communications Bulletin No. 1
 

When the fire dispatchers' position moved from the alarm room at Station 4 to Central Communications in November 1981, a number of new "dispatch protocols" were instituted.  Additional information to assist responding units, such as providing cross streets and map numbers, was announced over the PA system and on the operations frequency with every dispatch.
 
The current status of out-of-service hydrants & sprinkler systems, closed streets, and other abnormal situations, previously disseminated only through notices tacked onto station bulletin boards, was now also announced at the start of every shift.
 
At every roll call, the fire dispatcher announced a litany of out-of-service hydrants, sprinkler systems, alarm boxes,  and all other conditions that posed a potential problem.  One of the unintended consquences of this new procedure, however, was that roll call announcements became lengthy and monotonous.  No one was listening.

Thirty-year veteran firefighter Fred Knudsen came up with the solution:  Eliminate the lengthy and repetitive announcements at roll call and replace them with a weekly bulletin distributed to all fire stations that would list any new, old or repaired conditions since the previous bulletin, as well as any other announcements.

On Monday, March 1, 1982, Xeroxed copies of the first of 233 Communications Bulletins were issued to all stations and staff.  Roll call announcements thereafter included only those abnormal conditions that occurred, or were repaired, since the current bulletin was issued.
 
Bulletin contents were not limited to official Department announcements.  They frequently contained announcements for Local 2687, as well as information on upcoming Town and Department social events.  Once in a while you might even find a homemade cartoon submitted by someone on one of the shifts.
 
From time to time, the website will post some of these and other possible items of interest from the Communications Bulletins.
 
Most of the time, the Bulletin was printed weekly on Thursday mornings so the Deputy Chief could drop them off at each station with the paychecks. Newly issued bulletins were easily identified because they were printed on different colored paper each week.
 
The Hamden Fire Department Communications Bulletin, inspired by Firefighter Fred Knudsen, lasted nearly seven years.
 
Fred Knudsen joined the Hamden Fire Department on October 8, 1951.  He was president of the Hamden Paid Firemen's Sick Benefit Association during 1967 and 1968, when non-management department members fought for and won a 42-hour workweek that began with the start of the 1970-71 fiscal year.  Fred served more than 34 years with the Department, retiring on March 1, 1986, the fourth anniversary of Communications Bulletin No. 1.  He passed away on July 2, 1998, at the age of 75.

Posted 3/2/12


1st Communications Bulletin - March 1, 1982 (CLICK to enlarge)
Final Communications Bulletin - January 6-11, 1989 (CLICK to enlarge)
COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Unless otherwise cited or in the Public Domain,
all material on this website, including all original photos, essays, articles and commentary published herein, are © Copyright 2009-2012 by the Hamden Fire Retirees' Association and may not be copied or republished in whole or in part without prior written permission of the Hamden Fire Retirees' Assn.

Official website of The Hamden Fire Retirees' Association

Website powered by Network Solutions®