CERT was called out just after 3 am on August 30 for a fire on Morse Street. Luckily everyone was able to evacuate both the house with the fire and the neighboring house that had ultimately had only siding damage. The Hamden Firefighters were able to stop the fire from causing additional damage because of their offensive attack on the building of origin. The Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire. Hamden CERT assisted the occupants of both buildings & supplied logistical & rehabilitation services to the firefighters. Please be reminded of the need to make sure you have working smoke detectors.

Hamden CERT Members came out on Halloween evening to help our Hamden Police Department personnel with the annual haunted house that has always been a big success with the Spring Glen neighborhood, with the proceeds always going towards a local youth service organization. 🎃 It was a very cool night with what we think was the wind “howling” for most of the evening. Thank you to our 19 CERT volunteer members who spent many hours managing the traffic and the crowd and making sure that all of the trick-or-treaters were safe as they collected their stockpile of candy! Thank you also to the homeowners who spend many hours and days of preparation to make this event the success that it is every year.

We would like to take the time to send a special thanks to the members of the Dunbar Hill Fire Company #8 for their hospitality and opening their meeting hall to our Hamden CERT Members for our monthly meetings and trainings. Their generous proposal allows us to hold our basic training classes there also. Their generosity allows us to have a place to hold all of our activities and also have a place to call home! The funds raised by the rental of their hall are used for the upkeep and improvements of their station and equipment. If you know of anyone who is interested in the rental of the hall, please contact them through the information provided below. We sincerely thank the membership of Dunbar Hill Station #8 Volunteers for reaching out to us and proving again the affiliation and teamwork of volunteer emergency services helping our community to be a better and safer place for all of us!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the starting date for the next Hamden CERT Class must be postponed until the following week, Thursday, April 10th. We apologize for any inconvenience. We still have seats available and if you know of anyone that you feel would have an interest in this informative training, please let them know. We are looking forward to seeing all of you soon! We will be conducting our next CERT Training Program starting on Thursday, April 10th, 2025, at 6:30 pm. This certified 8-week CERT training program, available at no charge, is held at the Dunbar Hill Volunteer Fire Company Station 8 at 420 Dunbar Hill Road. Training consists of how to make critical decisions during everyday emergencies or any major incident. CERT training gives you the skills and equipment to prepare for emergencies and be able to protect yourselves, your family, friends, and neighbors. Upon completion, you will receive a free backpack, complete with flashlight, first aid kit, and other emergency equipment and supplies. With your graduation from this 20-hour, nationally certified course you will receive your FEMA Certificate of Completion, State ID Card, and the opportunity to become an active member of the Hamden CERT Program if you wish. Subjects covered will be Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety & Suppression, Victim Search & Rescue, Medical Triage & Treatment, Disaster Impact on Victims & Rescuers, Situation Awareness, and Team Organization & Operations. Completed applications  must be returned to the Office of the Fire Chief, 2372 Whitney Avenue, 2nd Floor Hamden, CT. 06518 no later than Friday, March 28th.

On Saturday, June 7, 2025, ten of our members who attended the Connecticut CERT Saturday Training Day at Central CT State College in New Britain. These ten individuals are a fine example of why our program is so successful. We thank them for spending part of their weekend helping to make not only themselves, but our team, much stronger! We would also like to thank the directors, leaders and members of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management for making this opportunity possible!

Congratulations to our 12 graduates from the Hamden basic training class #24 . We acknowledge these dedicated individuals who have been with us for the last 8 weeks, taking the time to learn the necessary skills to help make a difference! We are fortunate to have them on board and look forward to having them work alongside us for our future activities. Thanks again to the Dunbar Hill Company 8 Volunteers for making this class possible!

Under beautiful sunny skies, 28 of our members were able to honor our military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice by assisting the Hamden Veteran’s Commission with logistical support for the Hamden Memorial Day Parade. While protecting the participants with pedestrian and vehicle management at the Hamden High School, we also assisted with giving directions to the many marchers and vehicles that were part of the parade. We also gathered the marchers and vehicles at the Hamden Middle School Parking Lot where the parade ended. Many of our members attended the Memorial Day ceremony inside of the Middle School with a tribute to those who “Gave All for our Freedom” along with their families who also suffered the enormous loss of their loved ones. Thank you to our members who took the time to give back just a little to those who gave so much. The day is so much more than a day off from work and an excuse for a cookout. God Bless America and our military veterans. eterans both past & present!

Thank you to the Hamden Rotary Club for their ongoing support of our program by once again acknowledging the service of Hamden CERT with the 2025 Grant Award! We are honored to work alongside Rotary members for the common, civic goals of making our community a better, healthier and safer place for all of us.

The Hamden CERT Program has lost member Barry Simmons who always considered what he could do for the community and anyone who was in need. Barry was one of the first members of the North Haven CERT Program who graduated with their first class. He transferred over to Hamden years ago and was welcomed by our Hamden CERT family with open arms. Knowing Barry for five minutes was like you knew him for years; caring, giving, and thoughtful were only a few of his most treasured qualities. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife Donna and to all of his family. Barry’s strength and courage throughout his battle for well-over two years will always be an inspiration to us. Having worked for many years for the UI Company in New Haven and Bridgeport power stations as a Senior Plant Technician Operator, there wasn’t anything that Barry couldn’t fix or was not familiar with. Whether it was construction, utilities, or just simple repairs, Barry was the one to look for when help was needed. Barry was also the master of the waterways throughout the Connecticut coastline. His enjoyment was being out on one of his many sailboats, challenging the seas in any weather, along with taking part in and enjoying many competitions. When Barry became sick and diagnosed back in 2018, the outlook was not good and we were hoping for a few months of quality life. Being a positive thinker, his strong faith in God and the never-give-up attitude, he proved to everyone that he would fight the fight and continue to enjoy life. We would like to thank the Staff of Yale New Haven, Smilow Care Center, Devine Street in North Haven for over 2 years of professional and caring treatment. Special thanks go out to Dr. Jeremy Kortmansky, Virginia Syombathy and also to Jean, Mike, and many members of the staff and volunteers who Barry considered to be: angels without wings! Barry, you will never be forgotten for all of your good works for so many people! Your passing leaves a huge hole in our hearts but we will remember all of the good days and always be thankful that we had the opportunity to work alongside you. We also promise to never give up on the NY Football Giants and the NY Rangers! You have been an inspiration to all of us and we promise that we will use you as our example, continue to do for others and to “Never give up” when things get tough! We’ll look forward to seeing you again upstairs and we know that you’ll have our place, ready and upgraded for our arrival!

Hamden CERT members would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Officer Michael Pantera, a former officer in the Hamden Police Department, who was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident in North Branford on August 2nd. We also extend our condolences to his colleagues in the HPD. Mike was a 24-year veteran of the HPD and recently retired on July 31st, two days prior to his passing. Mike was a compassionate police officer who cared deeply about the Hamden community and always served everyone with kindness and professionalism. To say that Mike was a friend of CERT is an understatement! He always found the time over the years to stop by our command vehicle whenever we worked together, at any community event! Thank you Mike for always being there for us!

On February 14, 2022 @ 19:02 hours, Hamden CERT Members activated/responded to a large, 3-story, multi-family apartment building at 42 Warner Street and were participated in a multi-agency coordinated effort. Thank you again to the command staff and members of the Hamden Fire Department for their aggressive fire suppression and rescue efforts under severe conditions. This fire required the full on-duty force of the Hamden Fire Department along with mutual aid departments during this 3-alarm fire. Hamden units were assisted at the scene by North Haven and New Haven Fire Departments, along with AMR, while many other departments provided station and town coverage. Sixty people were displaced due to the fire, including 14 children. Fire Marshal Brian Dolan said the fire began on the first floor of the building and then spread to the second floor and consumed the entire attic and roof. Hamden CERT members assisted with firefighter rehabilitation and assisted Hamden Community Services and the American Red Cross with logistical support and the relocation of the occupants who were not able to return to their apartments. CERT Members also dispersed over 300 pounds of ice melt to help with the heavy accumulation of ice in an attempt to mitigate the dangerous footing conditions throughout the fire scene. Thank you to the members of all agencies that were involved in this major incident.

Hamden CERT responded to a 2-story, 1-family structure fire on 1/19/24 shortly after 08:30 on Wintergreen Avenue. Members supplied logistical support applying ice melt because of ice conditions and a light snowfall, supplied cold and warm beverages to the firefighters, and assisted Hamden Community Services and the American Red Cross with the relocation of one displaced individual and his pets. Our members placed our vehicle back in service shortly after noon. This is another example of our mission to help others!