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!

The Hamden CERT Advance Team was activated three times in a 15-day period for three major (2 alarm) residential structure fires. On Sunday, November 17th Hamden Fire Department responded to a single-family home on Country Hills Road that was fully involved in fire on arrival of the first responding companies. During the ongoing red-flag conditions, very dry & high wind) the fire was contained to the structure of origin and luckily all of the residents were able to escape the home. Hamden CERT assisted the HFD, AMR and Red Cross with rehabilitation of the firefighters and relocation of the occupants. Two days later on November 19th our Hamden CERT Members were dispatched to another 2-alarm fire in a 3-story multi-family apartment building on Park Road. There was heavy fire damage that was held to 1 unit with some extension to the unit above. Seven individuals were displaced and Hamden CERT members assisted in their relocation and provided rehabilitation and logistical support to the firefighters. On December 1st, Hamden CERT assisted Hamden Fire for a residential structure fire on Second Street. Firefighters made a great stop of a fire in the walls of the 2nd floor that had extended into the 3rd floor. All of the occupants were able to evacuate the structure and were assisted by Hamden Community Services and the Red Cross for relocation. Again, there were no injuries to occupants or firefighters. All three incidents are under investigation of the Hamden Fire Marshals Office. Also on scene were the Hamden building department official, Red Cross, AMR, Hamden Community Services and utility companies who all assisted at all 3 scenes. Country Hills Road Park Road 2nd Street

Congratulations to our members from Hamden CERT Class #23 who graduated on 11/14/24. Our new members completed 8 weeks of basic training that started in September. We thank you for your commitment and dedication over the last two months and look forward to having you join us in the near future!

Hamden CERT, along with our  Hamden Police officers and our school crossing guards, managed the hundreds of vehicles and trick or treaters who came out to the Spring Glenn area on Halloween for a well-known haunted house . Thanks to our team effort and dedication, we were able to help keep our community and visitors safe throughout the seven-hour assignment.

The Hamden CERT program had a very busy year providing service to the Hamden community. Along with the many planned community events, the team was also active with public service, emergency activations, emergency preparedness, public education, and our ongoing training schedule. Hamden CERT provided logistical support to Hamden Fire Department, Hamden Police Department, Hamden Parks & Recreation, Town Center Park Commission, Hamden Arts, Keefe Community Center, and the Hamden Veterans Commission along with Hamden Community Services. We also were instrumental in the 2024 Hamden Holiday Toy/Food Drive that took place over the Christmas Holiday Seasons! On April 18th, we graduated ten (10) students from our 22nd CERT Basic Training Class at the Dunbar Hill Volunteer Fire Station. We conducted another class (Hamden CERT Basic Training Class 23) that started in September and graduated eleven (11) students on November 14th. Here are the details of our activity for 2024: Emergency Calls - 5 emergency activations included CERT Response for four residential structure fires where we assisted displaced occupants and supplied rehabilitation services for our firefighters. CERT assisted with one other emergency activation to assist the Hamden Fire Department with logistical support during an extended operation at Sleeping Giant State Park during a search for a missing person on a very warm day back on July 13th. Hamden CERT provided 92 service hours related to emergency activations during the year. Planned Community Events – 14 requests for assistance and logistical support that included: Earth Day, our Fireworks and Summer Concert Series, along with the organization of the Memorial Day Parade, The Hamden Festival & Road Race, Hamden Middle School 2-day Graduation Ceremony, National Night Out, Caribbean Festival, Hamden Animal Control Fundraiser, Brooksvale Fall Festival and the Silver Bells Holiday Venue. Hamden CERT provided 780 service hours related to Community Events during the year. Public Service/Public Education –29 We offered over 40 hours of emergency preparedness training to our residents at our two CERT Basic Training Classes along with ongoing review classes for our sworn members. Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness information is also distributed by our members throughout the year at planned events, with classes given to community agencies on request. Hamden CERT provided 778 service hours related to Public Service & Emergency Preparedness Training during the year.

February 17, 2025 We had a great turnout for our monthly training session with 34 members attending a tour of the Connecticut Transit bus terminal on State Street. Thank you to the CT Transit personnel Chris Allen and Frank DiGistina along with Senior CERT Member Jackie Romprey (also a CT Transit Employee) for making this informative training session possible. The main subject of this tour was to see the operation, equipment, and safety features of the battery electric buses (BEBs). Due to the increase in chargeable lithium-ion battery powered vehicles, this class gave our members better insight into the operation, charging, and safety issues that all of us should be aware of. Many lithium-ion batteries (either small appliances or tools with both small & large batteries) have caused tragic results and major fires due to incorrect charging methods and incorrect care nationwide, causing many serious injuries and fatalities. This class is another example of the ongoing safety training that our CERT Members participate in even after our basic training.

On Wednesday, April 30th the Hamden Middle School sponsored a Career Day for its students. Along with our Municipal Partners like Hamden Police and Public Works, nine of our Hamden CERT Members were on site to explain what we do and how we play a large role in our town’s Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you to all of the other private businesses who donated their time and brought along their vehicles and/or the equipment that they use to serve our community. Also, a special thank you goes out to Mayor Garrett, Acting Fire Chief Carter and Laura Hutchinson from WTNH, Channel 8, who took the time to greet the students.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the staff and students from Hamden Middle School enjoyed themselves during the festivities! Thank you to the staff of Hamden Middle School for their planning and for the coffee and snacks that they provided to the many agencies that made this event possible.

On Thursday evening we were happy to host some of our CERT brothers and sisters from Manchester, Southington, and Hartford CERT Programs. We displayed some of our firefighter rehabilitation equipment and supplies and also gave them a tour of both of our emergency response vehicles. Thanks to Manchester CERT for bringing along their vehicles and displaying their cache of drones and equipment. As always, it’s a pleasure to visit with our other CERT members from other towns since there is no distance between us when it comes to emergency management and CERT programs!

Congratulations to our members from Hamden CERT Class #22 who graduated on April 18, 2024. Our new members completed 8 weeks of basic training that started back on February 22nd. We thank you for your commitment and dedication over the last two months and look forward to having you join us in the near future!