BLIZZARD 2013

HAMDEN FIREFIGHTERS WORK UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS DURING BLIZZARD:

SNOW TOTAL IN HAMDEN HIGHEST IN STATE AT 40 INCHES.

The February 8th through 9th Blizzard was another historic weather event for the State of Connecticut.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel are always on the front lines protecting you and your family, no matter what the conditions.

Hamden Professional Firefighters responded to 217 calls for service between the hours of 00:01 February 8, 2013 and 2400 hours February 12, 2013.  Included in this number are over 100 medical calls, 15 carbon monoxide calls, 3 MVA's and 25 fire, fire alarm or smoke investigations as well as numerous miscellaneous calls for service.

There are some incredible stories coming out of this storm.  Please visit the photo gallery "Blizzard 2013" to view pictures from the storm and aftermath.

Just a few details on the storm:

Members had to ride in the bucket of Hamden Public Works payloaders to several calls during the storm. HFD paramedics and EMTs had to care to a serious heart patient in the front bucket of the loader in one such instance.

This proved to be the only way to reach some patients as most roads were impassable, even to regular public works plows.

The loaders were used to get patients and personnel back to main roads that were passable to ambulances.

At the height of the storm, most roads were completely inaccesable to any ambulances and multiple patients had to be transported to local hospitals in the back of our fire apparatus.  Luckily all of our apparatus have tire chains avaible to assist with getting through the deep snow.  Even then, getting to calls often involved stopping multiple times to shovel out around the apparatus to get the vehicle un-stuck.

Engine 2 had to transport patients in the back of the engine to the ER at Yale and St. Raphael's.

Engine 2 transported one patient having difficulty breathing after a nearly 6 hour ordeal to extricate him from his house and out of his neighborhood to somewhat passable roads.  Rescue 2, a smaller 4 wheel drive Ford F550 truck, actually had to be abandoned during this call due to impassable road conditions and was stranded on Woodin Street for the duration of the storm.  Rescue 2's crew rode with engine 2 for the duration of the storm as a paramedic engine until Rescue 2 could be recovered.

Squad 1 also had to transport patients to the hospital. (see photo gallery).

Some companies simply just had to wait out the storm they were buried so badly.  Engine 9 was stranded in their apparatus for almost 9 hours.

At one point their truck's heat stopped working and they had to use knox box keys on the engine to access a nearby school to take shelter in.

Multiple other companies were stranded for long periods of time until public works could dig them out.  Even our own shop trucks that were plowing had to be dug out by payloaders and other heavy equipment.

Many patients who lived on roads that had not been plowed had to be accessed by foot. Our firefighters walked through waist high, sometimes chest high snow carrying medical bags and other equipment to get to patients.

Patients were assessed by our medical personnel and if determined the patient had to get to the hospital, many times patients were carried out, pulled out on sleds, or otherwise removed with the help of public works snow plows or payloaders.

Many plow trucks were just unable to handle the sheer volume of the snow.  Many trucks blew transmissions, or overheated, and some cases caught on fire. (see photo gallery)

Crews also responded to a reported garage fire on Middle Road on Sunday, Feb. 10th.

Companies had to walk down unplowed streets great distances in full turnout gear with air packs, carrying tools and equipment, high rise packs, and other firefighting equipment to reach the fire.  The fire turned out to be very minor in nature but a great deal of work still had to be done to reach it.

Clean up work will continue for days and days to come as plows and payloaders continue to open streets in town.

AS A FINAL REMINDER

We will also be shoveling hydrants in the coming days but we will also remain extremely busy responding to other emergencies. 

There are hundreds of hydrants in town, please help us help you! We need to be able to find water sources quickly to fight fires.