Hamden Fire Retirees Association, Inc.

 

 

 

In his 29 years on the job, Hamden Firefighter Ed Doiron took hundreds of photographs depicting firehouse life during "alarm readiness," many of which have been shared on the website.  During the past week, while exploring a few more of Ed's slide carousels, several dozen more of these images were found - and we are told there are even more slides and negatives on the way.  Below are a couple of Ed's Station 4 vignettes from nearly forty years ago.  More are promised in the coming weeks and months.

(Above) On a lazy summer afternoon in 1974, Ed Doiron snapped this slide of three of his Platoon 2 colleagues relaxing at the Station 4 watch desk.  Left to right are Lt. Gil Spencer with Firefighters Bob Viglione and Steve Hitchcock.

 

(Below) Ed then aimed his camera through the Alarm Room window to catch Chief Dispatcher and resident curmudgeon, Wilbur Baker, taking a break between emergency calls.  Rescue 1, the 1971 Ford "Circus Wagon," is reflected in the window.

 

 

 

 

Any conversation with John O'Hare is going to be one in which many laughs are exchanged.  John has a unique, often humorous way of looking at life.

 

In a recent phone conversation, John recalled his first day on the job in 1953.  He parked his 1948 DeSoto in the parking lot at Statiion 2 and walked in the front door.  Seated at the watch desk was veteran firefighter, Art Smith.  Looking up at O'Hare, Firefighter Smith asked, "Yes, sir, may I help you?"

 

When O'Hare told Smith that he was the new man and was supposed to report to Lieutenant Hume,  Smith pointed back toward the kitchen and snarled, "He's back there!"

 

John said that was only time in his 38 years on the job that anyone ever called him "Sir." "They've called me a lot of other things," he chuckled,  "but never again did anyone call me 'Sir'!"

 

Love talking to John!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday afternoon, June 21, 1966, personnel of old Platoon 1 responded to this garage fire at 304 Ridgewood Avenue, a street that begins in North Haven opposite Spring Glen School, and ends in Hamden at the corner of Santa Fe Avenue.

 

The fire did a lot of damage to the garage, but was otherwise not of any great consequence (unless, of course, you owned the garage).  The HFRA website is featuring it on this week's Home page because we acquired photos of the incident from three different sources.

 

The photo above was scanned from a nice 8 x 10 glossy taken by Register photographer John Mongillo, Jr.  Immediately below is a New Haven Register article featuring another Mongilo photo.  And immediately below the Register article is a nice color shot taken as the crew was overhauling.  It was scanned from the original Ectochrome slide taken by Ed Doiron, Sr., who was a member of Engine 3's crew.

 "A Century Plus of Us"

 

 Something to Think About!

 

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken thirty years ago during the department's annual Fire Prevention Week demonstration at the Hamden Mart.  Just why Ed Doiron is digging the hole isn't quite clear.  Maybe a mighty oak stands there now.  Strangers coming to Hamden today, however, would have no idea where to find that oak.  Everything in the background is long gone and the typography significantly altered by the removal of thousands of cubic yards of earth.  (Photo by Ed Doiron, Jr.)