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Resident Flees Electrical Fire, Underscoring Need for Improved Cell Coverage

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A woman in northeast New Canaan who had lost power and had no cell phone coverage on Saturday drove away from a suspected fire at her Bob Hill Lane house to find help from emergency responders, officials said. Fortunately, she came across New Canaan firefighters on nearby Laurel Road, where a tree had fallen on power lines, and told them about the emergency at her house. “Firefighters immediately radioed communications to dispatch for a structure fire and responded to the scene,” Fire Marshal Fred Baker said in a release. The first arriving units found a shorted surge protector. The suppressor strip itself was destroyed, according to Fire Chief Jack Hennessey, and fortunately the fire did not spread beyond it.

Around Town

‘We’ll Always Remember’: New Canaan Holds Memorial Ceremony for Victims of 9/11

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In the immediate wake of the horror of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, New Canaan’s highest elected official recalled Tuesday, “blindsided and fearing the worst, America delivered its best.”

“Americans fought back—with faith, courage, sacrifice and love,” First Selectman Kevin Moynihan told more than 100 local emergency responders, municipal workers, residents and elected and appointed officials gathered in the north entrance to Town Hall during the town’s annual remembrance ceremony. “People didn’t run from danger, they rushed to it. Strangers helped strangers. First responders climbed stairways to heaven.

News

‘A Worthwhile Project’: New Canaan Firefighters Eye Federal Grant To Help Purchase 1,000 Smoke, CO Detectors for Residents

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted unanimously to support the New Canaan Fire Department’s application for federal funds that would allow for the purchase of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for town residents. A Federal Emergency Management Agency “Assistance to Firefighters-Fire Prevention and Safety Grant” will allow the department to purchase about 1,000 detectors with New Canaan paying 5 percent of the cost—a breakdown of $6,477 for the feds and $323 for the town, according to Fire Chief Jack Hennessey. The Fire Department applied last year for the grant but was denied, Hennessey told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall. Asked why, he said: “It’s a competitive grant.”

“Other people had bigger priorities and bigger projects last time,” the fire chief continued. “They spent most of the money on research they’re giving to universities to do fire safety research.

News

Tree Lands on Pickup Truck in New Canaan Friday, Injuring and Trapping Driver

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A tree fell amid extreme high winds Friday and fell on a pickup truck in the area of Canoe Hill Road, officials said. The incident happened around 3 p.m., according to New Canaan Fire Chief Jack Hennessey. The tree did “significant damage” to the pickup and trapped the driver in the car, according to Hennessey. Members of the New Canaan Police Department, New Canaan Fire Department and New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded and freed the trapped driver, he said. He was extricated using the jaws of life, and transported to a hospital, Hennessey said.

News

New Canaan, Area Firefighters Respond to Barn Fire on South Avenue Late Sunday [UPDATED]

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Barn destroyed by fire in New Canaan Sunday Oct. 22.

New Canaan and area firefighters battled a barn fire late Sunday at a South Avenue property near the Darien town line. At about 7:43 p.m. Sunday, New Canaan Fire Department members, career and volunteer, raced to the blaze at 986 South Ave. No one was hurt in the fire, according to Fire Chief Jack Hennessey. Its cause is under investigation, he said. The 2-acre property includes the barn as well as a 1790-built house and cottage, tax records show.