Redding Resident to be Inducted Posthumously to CT Firefighter Hall of Fame

The CT State Firefighters Association recently released the inductees into this year’s Connecticut Firefighter Hall of Fame.

Laurence Ford, 93, of Redding, is one of 11 inductees this year. Ford passed away in May of 2015 at the age of 93, according to his obituary.

Ford, a World War II Army bridge designer and water supply technician, was a research engineer for the National Board of Fire Underwriters. His family wrote in his obituary that he also served as the Fire Service Coordinator, as well as the Director of Fire Training Programs for the Connecticut State Technical Colleges and on numerous state fire committees and boards throughout his career. He was appointed to the Connecticut Advisory Committee on Emergency Medical Services by Governor Ella Grasso and recognized by Governor William O’Neill for his contributions to the State of Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control.

Ford founded and served as the first president of the Connecticut Fireman’s Historical Society and established The Fire Museum in Manchester, Connecticut.

He was an active member of Redding Fire Company, #1, where he began his service as a volunteer firefighter in 1940 and served as both the Company’s Fire Marshall and Fire Commissioner.

Click here to read Ford’s full obituary on The Redding Pilot.

The Class of 2016 Inductees:

• Fred Dudek, Jr., Killingworth
• Laurence Ford, Redding (Deceased)
• James E. Kiley, Newingtown (Deceased)
• Ronald L. Littell, Sr., Tolland
• Kevin R. McKeon, West Shore (West Haven)
• Jon Menti, Stony Hill
• Jeffrey Morrissette, Wethersfield (Fire Admin)
• John E. Obier, Jr., North Haven (Deceased)
• Gary M. Parker, Derby
• Charles Perrotti, North Canaan
• Kenneth W. Richards, Jr., Olde Mystic

The 8th Annual Connecticut Firefighter’s Annual Hall of Fame Dinner will take place on Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 6 p.m. at The Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry Street, Plantsville, Conn. Tickets are $40 per person and are available at door or by calling the CSFA Office at (860) 423-5799, William Coffey at (203) 746-1424 or Bob Guthrie at (203) 934-7565.

Connecticut Firefighter’s Association stated:

“The purpose of the award is “to recognize a present or former member(s) of an organized Fire Department who has served both his or her department and state association(s) above and beyond normal expectations over an extended period of time. They shall have demonstrated leadership and have shown themselves to be a motivating force for the betterment of the Fire Service throughout Connecticut and the United States. These persons shall have contributed in a positive way to the enrichment of the Fire Service organizations they represented. Recipients’ names will be placed in a location of prominence as a remembrance of their efforts which have benefited and improved the Fire Service of the state.”

A pin and plaque of accomplishment will be awarded to each recipient or their family in case of a posthumous award.