Our present Board of Fire Commissioners was officially formed on June 10th, 1919. This was in accordance with Section #4 of the Amended House Bill 177 (An act amending an act establishing a Board of Fire Commissioners for the First Taxation District of the Town of Orange). Our first three Commissioners were:
Horatio G. Kelsey
John C. Williams
Frank S. Bradley
Commissioner Kelsey was appointed by the Town of Orange Board of Selectmen for a term of one year.
Commissioner Williams was elected by the Volunteer Fire Companies for a term of two years.
Commissioner Bradley was appointed by the Town of Orange Board of Selectmen for a term of three years.
The Commissioners were sworn in by Mr. Charles F. Roberts, Commissioner of the Superior Court of New Haven County, at 8:15 pm on June 12th, 1919.
The first official meeting of the new Board convened at 7:30 pm on July 1st, 1919. At this meeting Frank S. Bradley was elected Chairman and John C. Williams was elected Secretary of the Board. The Board of Fire Commissioners would meet on the first Tuesday of each month which continues to this day.
In the Beginning…
The West Haven Fire Department was organized in 1888. At this time it consisted of only one Fire Company. On February 2, 1892 the Warden and the Burgesses who oversaw the Borough decided that there should be someone in charge of overseeing the Fire Department. They appointed Burgess Bert D. Brown the first Fire Commissioner. Shortly there after two Hook & Ladder Companies were recognized by the Borough and by 1895 West Haven would have five separate and independent Fire Companies operating in the Borough. After Commissioner Brown, a succession of Burgesses were appointed Fire Commissioners and at times two or three Burgesses would form “Fire Committees”. Many times these positions would become stagnant or even left vacant. All this would change in 1917.
Chief Charles A. Cameron, Sr.
In 1917 Charles Cameron had been Chief for an unprecedented 12 years. In those days the Chief was elected by a vote of the firemen and after 12 years the men decided they had had enough of Chief Cameron and elected Arthur Travis as Chief. At first Chief Cameron refused to acknowledge the vote and stated that he would continue on as Chief. Instead, on December 31, 1917, his reign as Chief ended and he vacated the office. This was not the end of Chief Cameron however. The very next day, January 1, 1918, Charles Cameron was appointed Fire Commissioner under the new law as outlined in House Bill 177.
An Act Establishing a Board of Fire Commissioners.
Included in House Bill 177 is “An act establishing a Board of Fire Commissioners for the First Taxation District of the Town of Orange.” This act gives the Board broad powers under the State of Connecticut. The Board of Selectman of the Town of Orange get to appoint two Commissioners and they, in turn, choose a third Commissioner to round out the Board. While this may look good on paper, it did not work out so well. The Selectman appointed Charles A. Cameron and James M. McDermott as their two Commissioners but neither could agree upon a third man. Charles Cameron insisted that Charles Neuman be the third Commissioner. Neuman was Captain of Hook & Ladder and great friends with Cameron. McDermott knew that if he allowed Neuman to be appointed he would be the odd man out and it would be two against one.
McDermott suggested that he and Cameron both step down and let the Selectmen choose two new Commissioners who could agree on a third man. Cameron refused. A list of 14 prominent residents of the Borough who had no ties to the fire department but would be acceptable to the Firemen was put forward. Once again, Cameron refused to pick any of them.
An Act Amending An Act Establishing a Board of Fire Commissioners.
In the end, neither Charles Cameron nor James McDermott would hold on to their Board seat. The law was shown to be flawed and House Bill 177 was amended changing how the Board of Fire Commissioners would be seated. Under the amended bill the Selctmen from the Town of Orange still appointed two Commissioners. The third Commissioner would now be elected by the Firemen of the district. Ironically, when the Board was finally seated, neither Cameron nor McDermott were included. James McDermott would never become a Fire Commissioner. Charles Cameron would be appointed to the Board on May 1, 1921. Unfortunately he would fall ill and pass away on July 7,1921, making him our shortest serving Commissioner at just 68 days.
Many people believe that Chief Cameron and Charles Neuman never intended to serve as Fire Commissioners. That their sole objective was to prove that the law was flawed and needed to be changed. Others contend that it was an act of vengeance by Cameron in retaliation for the men not re-electing him. Both theories have merit and most likely it was a combination of the two. Ultimately, the law did need to be amended. In 1919 the Connecticut General Assembly did just that. It is now “An act amending an act establishing a Board of Fire Commissioners for the First Taxation District of the Town of Orange”.
Down Through the Years…
Since the start of the Modern Era (1919), 41 men have held the position of Fire Commissioner. The first Commissioners served the Borough of West Haven until 1921 when West Haven became a town in its own right, separate from the Town of Orange. Commissioners would continue to serve the Town and, in 1961, the newly incorporated City of West Haven. In 1973 the West Haven Center District adopted Home Rule under the Special Acts of the Legislature. All three Commissioners would now be elected by the taxpayers of the District and continue to be to this day.
Facts about the Board of Fire Commissioners…
41 men have held the position of Fire Commissioner since 1919.
Current Commissioners: Bruce Sweeney (6-1-1977), John Carew (6-1-2008), Herbert Hill (6-1-2019)
2 former Fire Chiefs: Charles Cameron, Sr. and Lloyd Cameron, Sr. (both died in office)
Robert Johnson went on to become Mayor of West Haven and served four terms.
Stephen Dargan also served as a State Representative.
Shortest Term: 68 Days – Charles Cameron, Sr.
Longest Term: 42 Years, 10 Days (and counting) – Bruce Sweeney
Second Longest Term: 33 Years – Donald Lewis
3 men have been named Commissioner Emeritus: W. Vincent Lee, George Davidson & Donald Lewis
5 men have died in office: Charles Cameron, Sr., George Shepard, Sr., Lloyd Cameron, Sr., Walter Kelly & Joseph Callahan
5 men have served more than one term but not consecutively: W. Vincent Lee (three times), Charles Daum (twice), Walter Page (twice), Joseph Hannan (twice) and George Davidson (twice)
Walter Page first served as Clerk of the Board
Grandfather / Grandson: William Ruickholdt / Nicholas Ruickholdt
Father / Son: George Shepard, Sr. / George Shepard, Jr.
Commissioner Edward Sweeney’s son was born while he was in office. Edward Sweeney, Jr. is our current Deputy Chief and his sons Kevin and Brian are currently Firefighters in the Center District as well.
Lloyd Cameron’s daughter Ellen married Harold “Boo” Burns. In 1964 Harold was one of the first three men promoted to Captain in the Center District and would achieve the rank of Assistant Chief. Their son Harold (Hal) Burns was a firefighter in the West Shore District and retired as Chief of the West Shore Fire Department.
Newest Commissioner: Herbert C. Hill – June 1, 2019
