HVFC December Report

Members of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company responded to 53 calls for emergency services in December. Here’s the breakdown of calls:

Medical Emergencies - 29                       

Fires, alarms etc. - 10
Motor Vehicle Crashes - 7
Other - 7                         


December was an especially busy month for members responding to motor vehicle accidents.

The occupants of a car involved in a minor rollover on Route 9 North during heavy rain were checked out by EMS personnel on scene and found to be uninjured. They were all wearing seatbelts. On a mutual aid call to Chester, the Fire Company shut down a section of Route 9 for several hours. State police say a Middletown man driving southbound lost control of his vehicle, veered off the roadway and struck a rock ledge. Lifestar transported the man to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Bad weather was a factor in a series of other accidents. Vehicles spun out into each other, struck trees and slid into rock outcroppings when snow fell during the afternoon commute on Dec. 26. Route 9 was shut down for about two hours to protect emergency personnel operating on both sides of the highway. Three people were transported to Middlesex Hospital by Haddam Ambulance and assisted by a Paramedic from Middlesex Hospital. None of the patients suffered life-threatening injuries.

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Newtown, members of the Fire Company took part in a candlelight vigil at the Town Green hosted by the Haddam Lions Club. Speakers included local clergy, town officials and Fire Chief Gary Klare. The HVFC also provided lighting and traffic control.

In happier news, more than a hundred area children attended the annual Children's Christmas Party held at Station 1. Each child received a gift and had their picture taken with Santa, who arrived by fire truck.

The Fire Company is pleased to introduce its new Chaplain James Cooke, who was sworn in at December’s monthly meeting. Historically, the chaplain handles ceremonial tasks in the Fire Service, while providing counsel to members who would like to discuss tough calls or any problems in their personal lives. When not serving the Fire Company, Jay is Director of Pastoral Services at Hartford Hospital.

Also in December, the Fire Company and Women’s Auxiliary received a $2,000 grant from commercial property insurer FM Global. The money will assist fire prevention activities.

Drills included a presentation about Firefighter Health and Safety - both physical on-scene safety as well as a Critical Incident Stress refresher in how emergency responders deal with difficult calls.

Lastly, the Firefighter 1 class being hosted in Haddam is wrapping up its final testing phase.

More information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved can be found on our website www.HaddamFire.com, or find us on Facebook.