On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, the State of CT announced funding for the new Hamden Fire Department, Station #2, great news for the Hamden Fire Department along with residents of the southern part of Hamden. Hamden CERT has called this station our home for our CERT vehicle, supplies & equipment since 2017. We thank Chief Merwede, A/C Naples, the staff, and especially the line personnel who have welcomed us and shared their home-away-from-home with open arms! We truly appreciate all the members of HFD for their outstanding service to our community! Thank you for sharing your station with us!

How do you start to tell people about our CERT teammate Carol Teodosio? Carol was beyond explanation for so many reasons. Not only was Carol a major part of Hamden CERT, she was a major part of the Town of Hamden. Graduating from Hamden High School in 1975, Carol spent over 22 years at the Hamden Board of Education serving as an Administrative Secretary and also working in the Finance Department. She also represented her co-workers as their Union President. Carol joined the Hamden Community Emergency Response Team in 2012 and was so much more than just a team member. She along with her husband Bob and son Steve, did more than anyone could imagine, behind the scenes for the Hamden CERT Program. When it came to uniforms, patches, name tags, curtains or any other needs, Carol was always there to get the job done for us! When the COVID Pandemic struck early in 2020, she spent days making facemasks for Hamden’s 1st Responders and her fellow CERT Members. A few weeks later, she made a special, custom order facemask for Jonathan, the University of Connecticut Husky! Besides her husband Bob and son Steve, her family and her love of animals, she always held a special place in her heart for her brother and sister CERT Members, who she always considered her CERT Family. Our sincere condolences go out to Bob, Stephen and all of Carol’s Family. No words can convey the void in our hearts and emptiness that our team will feel for quite some time, not having Carol there with us. She was always just a phone call away whether it was for a fire emergency at 2 am or any planned event, greeting and helping others for hours on end. We know that the Good Lord will keep you close and we look forward to when we can be with you again. We thank you for choosing us and we also thank God, because He blessed us by sharing you with us, for all the good times! Rest in Peace, Carol.

As we prepared for the two busiest seasons of community events, we found ourselves in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, where every social gathering or community event has been canceled or postponed for the foreseeable future! We also had to postpone the remainder of our Basic Training Class #17 as we were ready to enter our 3rd week of training. We hope to regroup during the summer or at our next regularly scheduled class in September. As an emergency response team, part of our preparations and training is for mass care, sheltering, and points of distribution (PODs). As we entered our third month of sheltering in place and social distancing, many individuals have been impacted by job loss, business closings, layoffs, and home-schooling situations that were never planned for. Food supplies have been minimized because of increased purchases, limited supplies and financial income situations that have been stressed. Because of these trying conditions, we were contacted by Adam Sendroff of our Hamden Community Services and Family Engagement Coordinator Hector Velazquez about setting up a food distribution for families in need. With the assistance of the Mayor’s Office, the CT Food Bank and Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler, we went forward in planning our 1st food distribution on March 23rd. Under some difficult weather conditions of snow, sleet and rain that day, we were able to distribute food to over 250 families at the Dunbar Hill School with the assistance of the Board of Education and Hamden Police. As the impact of the COVID-19 continued to increase by the hour, our local community was in need of increased support, so another distribution was planned for April 8th, with a set up day for packaging on April 7th. With the help of the CT Food Bank, Hamden PD, Christ Bread of Life Parish, National Guard and other volunteers, we were able to support close to 400 families with food to sustain them for the next few weeks. Twenty-two (22) of our Hamden CERT Members volunteered over 187 Service Hours over the 3 days of preparation and distribution of needed items for close to 700 families! We also have just completed our 3rd distribution on April 27th with 18 of our members helping another 400 families with a variety of food products. It was an honor for our team members to be able to assist and reassure our community during these very difficult times. We stand ready for any other needs during this disaster that is affecting all of us and we will get through this together!

The following was written by Bob Freeman of the Hamden CERT team. To the Hamden community who has lost a good friend and a great man, ​As I sit here today and attempt to put into words what a great man Michael Colaiacovo Jr. was, my heart is so very heavy with this loss. So many people knew him by name but only a few really knew the real Mike. To say he was a “Hometown Hero” only describes a small part of the real person who Mike was. Mike did so much for so many and his thousands of hours of service to the Town of Hamden were just a part of what he did for so many people behind the scenes. His limitless number of hours that he devoted to the Town of Hamden as a member of the Legislative Council, representing District 7 for close to 15 years, was only a small part of the person that he was! ​I am proud to say that Mike was a member of the Hamden CERT Program and not only did he find the time during his busy schedule to participate in the class years ago, but made sure to bring along some of his Council Members with him! He wanted to make as many of his fellow Council Members aware of what the Hamden CERT Program was all about. He may not have put on the uniform (we did get him to wear the helmet a few times during training!) but he was always a phone call away and continually made it a priority to be with us at graduation ceremonies and special events to let our members know how much our team was appreciated. At any community event where CERT was working, he would always make sure to stop by and say "hi" to our members and see how our team was doing. ​With a little persuasion from Mike’s sister Debbie (DiLeone), not only did Mike become a CERT Member but Debbie also influenced her son Mark and father, Mike Senior to consider our class also! We have been blessed and are honored to have the whole Colaiacovo clan to be part of our team! When a total renovation was needed years ago on our 1994 CERT Vehicle, Mike was the one who made it happen and secured funds though the council to help us sustain our truck for a few more years. This is just a small example of what Mike did to help many civic and volunteer services like Hamden CERT and the Volunteer Firefighters from Dunbar Hill Volunteer Station #8. It was always about what Mike could do for Hamden, to make the residents of Hamden safer and to insure the best of conditions for the town and its citizens that he loved! This tribute to Mike will always be part of our website and his memory will always remain in our hearts. He will be missed by so many and especially those who were privileged to have known Mike, worked alongside of him or had the privilege to call him friend. From all of our CERT Members, please accept our sincere condolences to Mike’s Family, his Hamden Family and to his many friends and fellow civil servants. “May the Good Lord always hold you close Mike and protect those that you loved! Thank you Mike for always being there for us." Rest easy my friend! Sincerely, RJF ​

Sharyn L. Wetmore Burkle, age 70, of Hamden, passed away on April 9, 2019. Born in New Haven on April 27, 1948, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Lorayn (Peet) Hooghkirk. Sharon was predeceased by her husbands, Duane K. Wetmore and Richard Burkle. ​A resident of Hamden all her life, Sharyn was employed by the Town of Hamden as a clerk in the Tax Department for years, and later worked at the Margaret L. Keefe Center. Sharyn was also a Justice of the Peace and a Notary Public. Most of all, Sharyn was known for her love of her horses. Sharyn was also one of the first members of the Hamden Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). After her training and class graduation, she became one of the 1st Hamden CERT Team Leaders who was responsible for getting the team activated and making sure that the CERT vehicle responded to any emergency scene. Sharyn will always be remembered as a true team player who made sure that all new team members were taken aside, made comfortable, and were given any necessary information on required duties and our operations. During emergencies, she was the first to reach out to any person in need and treated each as if they were her own family! She will always be remembered for her friendly, loving, and caring personality that was not only a great example to our team members but also to everyone in our community, especially those who were lucky enough to have been called a friend! Rest in Peace Sharyn, thank you for all you have done for so many, you will be sincerely missed!

Thank you to Porto Tire Service of Hamden for their generous donation of four chrome wheel covers for our Hamden CERT Emergency Response Vehicle. Special thanks go out to Hamden CERT member Marc Goldberg for making this happen. We truly appreciate your recognition of our service to the Hamden community and are proud to have you as a member of our team!

Thank you to our 16 Hamden CERT Members who came out to support the 2nd QVHD COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Thornton Wilder Hall. Hamden CERT Members managed many of the logistical support functions like medical screening, registration, and transport support for special-needs patrons who needed assistance to and from their vehicles. Again, it was an honor to work along with Hamden Fire, the QVHD Team, Quinnipiac University students, Miller Library and Hamden Senior Center staff. Special “Thanks” goes out to our members who took a day off from work, to assist our community during this ongoing COVID-19 Emergency.

Hamden CERT Members had the opportunity to assist the volunteers from the Samaritan’s Purse Relief Organization in helping homeowners recover from the damage caused by the tornado and storms of May 15th, 2018. Multiple teams headed out to Hamden, North Haven, and Wallingford in assisting homeowners with the cutting of hazardous trees, limbs, branches and removal of storm debris. "Appreciative" and "amazed" are two of the comments that we heard over and over during our many days of deployments. "Thankful beyond words" and "happy tears" were not uncommon among the people we served. Rewarding and fulfilling were the feelings that we experienced in helping these folks and assisting them with their long road to recovery. The damage to our community is extensive and working alongside these outstanding volunteers from all over the country was a blessing that goes beyond words. A special "thank you" to Pastor Jim Detweiler of Hope Church, North Haven for the use of their facilities and to Chick-Fil-A, North Haven for supplying us with a great meal on Saturday, June 23rd for the workers and the folks that we served, during that day. A special thank you goes out to our Hamden CERT members who volunteered over 100 service hours assisting the members of Samaritan's Purse. It was an honor and privilege to be part of the team from Samaritan’s Purse who have helped folks from all over the area.

The following was written by Bob Freeman Steve Coulon was known by many titles: dad, friend, brother, chief, officer, leader, and teacher. His qualities would be listed as strong, dependable, dedicated, and enthusiastic and believe it or not, sometimes he could even be feisty or aggressive! His aggressions were only to relay his passion for the safety for emergency service members and his vast knowledge of law enforcement, fire service, and terrorism awareness. His only goal was to keep his brothers and sisters of emergency services safe, healthy, and aware of the dangers of the trade. It has been told that you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat children and animals. Steve was a great example of this theory and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him, knew his love of children and his many pets! As a retired member of New York Police Department (NYPD) Steve served in the Traffic Unit as a motorcycle officer and after retirement was brought on board by the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) as a member of the Special Operations Command, Safety Battalion as a Forensic Safety Consultant with the title of Honorary Battalion Chief, FDNY. Steve also served as an Instructor of the Connecticut Fire Academy teaching at the academy in Windsor Locks and at just about every fire department throughout the state of Connecticut. Steve started his emergency service career working as a Volunteer Firefighter in North Branford and also at the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in New Haven and later as one of the first Emergency Medical Technicians serving with Parents & New Haven Ambulance back in the sixties and seventies. He later served as a volunteer firefighter and a fire police officer in North Haven. Over the last few years, Steve volunteered countless hours of training and exercises for his fellow Hamden CERT Members! All of his classes were educational, fact finding and beyond entertaining! ​Many of us have lived our dream of becoming a firefighter and having the chance to work the "Best Job in the World." Some of us have had the honor of coming up through the ranks into the fire officer positions. For some of us, who have been blessed in both of these categories, there was no higher honor than walking into one of the many Connecticut Fire Stations or FDNY Facilities with Steve Coulon and having him introduce me as his friend. It is an honor that will always be treasured and remembered as a gift that many have not achieved. I personally will always miss the rides down to “The Rock” (FDNY Training Facility), Mid Town Manhattan, Fort Totten in Queens and many other stops throughout the boroughs in the City that Never Sleeps. I, along with many other are so grateful that we had the chance to listen to many of Steve’s lessons, encounters, and experiences that would always be humorous, educational, and historical, sometimes even beyond words! I’ll miss the rides to Doogies Hot Dog Stand in Newington, Joey Garlic’s, Modern Pizza, and most of all Jackson Hole Diner in Astoria, Queens. One of his many adages will always stay with me; “If you can’t do your job, get out of the way and go sit on the curb!” I am so thankful and blessed that I was able to experience and grow to know Steve Coulon. I will always be honored that he called me his friend and my brother! “Rest in peace My Brother, we’ll take it from here and meet again up on the top floor!”

We are saddened to announce that we lost one of our senior CERT Members last Sunday morning. Mike Johnson passed at home about 2 weeks after receiving double bypass surgery. Mike was one of our more active members even though he turned 90 on July 2nd. We thought of him as 50 with 40 years of experience since he set the pace when it came to work and getting projects done for our team! Mike was a veteran of World War II who served in the Philippines. After the war, Mike played baseball for the well known "Hamden Plainsmen" and was inducted into the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club's 2014 Hall of Fame. Mike was also active with the Hamden Veterans Commission acting as a Commissioner and was chosen the Grand Marshal for the Memorial Day Parade in 2014. Mike was also one of the key members in the starting of the State Street Cemetery Group, helping to clean up the cemetery after many years of abandonment. It was not unusual for Mike and his wife Rita to make numerous trips each week from the cemetery bringing brush and trash to the town dump and helping to make the cemetery more adequate for the many veterans who are buried there. Mike and his family will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers forever because of his many projects and additions he created for our Hamden CERT vehicle. He was instrumental in making small repairs to the interior and always adding the small appliance holders and equipment brackets, key racks, and any other needed additions. One great example of what this man was about is that he converted his homemade house trailer into a Shelter Equipment Trailer and donated it to the Town and his team. This is a major loss for our CERT family and the many acquaintances that Mike has made over the years. Mike will always be remembered and we will continue to share with us the drive and determination to serve our community and be kind to our fellow man along with all of the traits that Mike instilled in us. "Thank you Uncle Mike, Rest in Peace Brother, you will be missed by many!"