Fireman’s Dilemma

Of all the fireworks displays in this area, I enjoy the one in Hamden, run by the Hamden Volunteer Fire Department, the most. New Haven’s is probably bigger, but Hamden’s takes place at Meadowbrook Golf Course, a huge open space which is conducive to being neighborly. There’s music and lots of smiling.

Much of this week I’d been kicking myself for not having taken off tonight so I could see the show (and photograph it). Good thing I didn’t.

My friend Cindy called just before 9:00 PM. She told me she had a scoop – and she really did. The fireworks had been canceled – canceled by the State Fire Marshall!

At this moment I don’t have all the details, but I think it has something to do with the launch tubes. It’s good to be safety conscious. Back in 1980, in Torrington, a fireworks display gone bad ended up injuring a bunch of people. No one wants a repeat of that.

The most interesting part of this story might be how the Volunteer Fire Department got shut down by the Fire Marshall. Ouch.