Crime & Safety
HVFCo. October Report
October calls included a structure fire and a close call with a tractor-trailer carrying liquid hydrogen.
Members of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company responded to 45 calls for emergency services in October:
Medical Emergencies – 26
Fires, alarms etc. – 9
Motor Vehicle Accidents – 9
Other – 1
Haddam became the center of media attention on Oct. 17 when a morning fire destroyed a house in Higganum. Nine fire departments, including Haddam, East Haddam, Haddam Neck, City of Middletown, Middletown South District, Chester, Killingworth, Deep River and Durham, responded to the blaze at a raised ranch on Candlewood Hill Rd. The home was fully involved upon arrival. No one was at home at the time of the fire but the house and a detached two-car garage were a total loss. The HVFCo. thanks our mutual aid departments for their service.
The homeowner was Tom Carlson, life member of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company. Tom’s brother, Ron Carlson, confessed to torching the house and was arrested for first-degree arson and third-degree burglary.
Haddam avoided a potentially explosive emergency in the early morning hours of Oct. 11 when the driver in a tractor-trailer carrying liquid hydrogen lost control and crashed in to ledge in the center median of Route 9. Haddam Ambulance evaluated two patients but no injuries were reported. The Fire Company, DEEP and the trucking company did not find any leaks. No product was released.
Ten members of the Fire Company joined hundreds of firefighters at the First Cathedral on Blue Hills Avenue on Oct. 13 to pay their respects to Hartford Firefighter Kevin Bell, who was killed fighting a house fire. Bell is the first line of duty death the city has seen in 40 years.
In community news, Haddam Fire members stopped by several area schools as part of Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5-11) to teach children about fire safety at home. This year’s theme was “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives.” Members also built and maintained the bonfire at the Oct. 17 Harvest Fest (formerly the “Harvest Hoedown”) at the Haddam Elementary School and stood by on medical detail during the Pumpkin Run on Oct. 26.
In training news, Haddam Fire Marshal Bill Robbins, a member of the National Association of Fire Investigators, was certified as a Fire and Explosion Investigator.
Drills included a water drafting and pumping exercise at Haddam Meadows and RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) practice.
Do You Have What It Takes? Find more information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved at our website www.haddamfire.com, or connect with us on Facebook.
