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Fire Chief John E. Smith On
June 21, 2005 retired New Haven Fire Chief John E. Smith, 85, died at
Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Connecticut. He was appointed to the
Department on February 3, 1943 following in the footsteps of his father
John who served the department for over three decades.
He was promoted to Lieutenant on November 9, 1949, Captain on
September 1, 1954, Battalion Chief on March 8, 1961, Deputy Chief August
2, 1966, Assistant Chief July 8, 1969, Executive Officer on January 17,
1979, Director of Civil Defense on July 1, 1981 and Chief of Department on
July 7, 1992. He
retired as Chief on February 6, 1996. John
Smith served the Fire Department for fifty-three years. It was the longest
span of employment of any person in the history of the New Haven Fire
Department dating back to the summer of 1862 when it became a fully paid
department. He advanced
through every promotional rank taking him to the head of the department.
The only other person to accomplish this feat was the late Thomas
J. Collins who served as Chief from 1953 to 1965. During
World War II he was inducted into the United States Navy on April 19, 1943
and graduated from the Navy’s firefighting school in South Boston. He
was discharged from the service on January 2, 1946 and returned to the
Fire Department. In
1958 the Board of Fire Commissioners commended him for his courageous part
in the rescue of youngsters from the cliff of West Rock. He was cited for his role as a Deputy Chief in the four alarm
Yale Art & Architecture Building fire in 1969. In 1969 at a major fire on Congress Avenue he fell through a
hole on the second floor landing on a billiards table suffering severe
contusions of the back and hip. He
was not a man of stature but tough as nails and returned to duty in a
short time. Chief
Smith received several honors during his many years of service to the
community. In 1966 he
received the Distinguished Service Award from the Knight of Saint Patrick.
In 1978 the Newhallville Shelton Ends honored him as “Man of the
Year”. He received the
“Public Safety Award” in 1983 from the Knights of Saint Patrick.
In 1985 the Box 22 Associates honored him as “Firefighter of the
Year’. The New Haven Police
Emerald Society cited him as “Irishmen of the Year in 1986.
In 1993 he received a 50 Year Award from the Connecticut State
Firemen’s Association. He
was honored on his fiftieth Anniversary at a sold out luncheon
sponsored by the New Haven Firemen’s’ Benevolent Association in 1993
and at the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Ball in 1993 he was presented with
the Distinguished Service Award. He
served as President of the New Haven Firemen’s Benevolent Association
for four years. He was a
member of the Knights of Saint Patrick, New Haven Fire Department American
Legion Post 132, and Box 22 Associates, Inc. As
president of the New Haven Firemen’s Benevolent Association he organized
a historic ceremony on October 16, 1993 at the rededication of the
firemen’s Monument and burial grounds at Evergreen Cemetery. The reenactment of the original ceremony held on July 9, 1877
drew a resounding applause when Chief John E. Smith stated “ We
firefighters gathered here today as one, united in the traditions of our
fine department….it is with a profound sense of awe and appreciation
that I, as President the Benevolent Association, do rededicate this
monument.” On
January 24, 1957 the worst loss of life fire in the city history occurred
at a factory building at 62 Franklin Street.
John Smith, fighting the fire, was a Lieutenant at that time when
15 people lost their lives in the general alarm blaze. His comments in 1995 when interviewed on the anniversary of
the fire were “It was terrible, just awful, with bodies piled up on the
fire escape above us. There
were no sprinklers in those days and the fire spread so fast because the
floors were oil-soaked.” In
an interview in 1995, about his fire service career, while in his fifty
second year on the department he stated “I’m very happy with what I did and I
wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Referring to a federal lawsuit that ordered demotions in 1993 to
civil service promotions he said “the toughest thing since I’ve been
chief was to take the badges away from battalion chiefs and
lieutenants”. All those who lost their badges rose to the occasion
taking a subsequent test finishing at the top to regain their rightful
promotional badge back. In all his years of service his dedication to the fire service has been second to none. His memory was sharp and he passed on many stories of the past six decades. It won’t be the same without Chief John Edward Smith, a man who left an everlasting impression on the many lives he touched. May he rest in peace! -This article was written by Battalion Chief Edward Flynn NHFD(ret) Chief Smith was given department honors. The following pictures were provided by Firefighter Peter Santos of Truck Company 4 Division 1. Peter has a love for photography and has provided Box 22 these photographs in honor of Chief Smith.
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