I’d like to congratulate our Fire Department, Chief Cooney and his team, the Village of Quechee and our whole town of Hartford. We have a way of coming together, as always!
The reopening of Hartford Station No. 2 brings back memories from the early 1970s, when a bunch of us came together to start the Quechee Fast Squad. That group eventually grew into the Quechee Fire Station. Back then, the Quechee Lakes Landowners Association gave us space in the Barn, and we even managed to get an old Army surplus deuce-and-a-half that we converted into our first vehicle. By 1983, the town moved the first engine over. As Chief Cooney noted, there’s a picture on the wall of the new Station 2 showing that 1983 event, with Chief Walt Morancy, Willie Lewis and others who were part of that history.
I still remember some of those calls — home health emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, rescues in the Gorge, the Punt Barn fire and the Hartford Mill fire. These moments stir a lot of memories.
The new station makes me proud, not only as a longtime resident of Hartford but also as someone who has served this town since the early ’70s. Congratulations again. As a past volunteer firefighter and first responder, I can say this is truly a great day for Hartford.
Kevin “Coach” Christie