Green vests are beacon of people who care

By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
Who are those folks walking around events wearing bright green vests?
It’s Region 4’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members looking out for your safety.
Scott Belleville, Putnam’s fire marshal and emergency management director, said the 100 percent volunteer group started its first class in 2024 and currently has 48 members. 
The trained volunteers are an added safety measure at events such as parades, events like Fire & Ice, the Main Street Car Cruise, fairs and much more. 
According to Deputy Director Emergency Management John Turner: “CERT is a nationally recognized, state-sponsored, locally administered emergency response training program that trains residents to assist local governments and first responders during emergencies and large-scale community events. CERT members are trained in Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, First Aid, Light Search and Rescue, and radio communications. CERT members receive additional training throughout the year in programs offered through the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.”
Belleville said it was his idea to get the program restarted. A lot of towns had had them and then lost them. The CERT Program had “kinda dwindled as towns saw less activity,” he said. “Let’s get this going.” 
Turner “took the bull by the horns,” Belleville said. Turner got everything set up, got the classes set up. 
Belleville added, “It was my concept and his drive” that led to the success of the Region 4 CERT program. Region 4 is the largest region geographically in Connecticut, running from Union to the shore. Forty-two towns and two tribal entities are covered.
Volunteers sign up for training. The last training session finished April 1 and the 16 who were certified brought the full complement to 48. Belleville hopes to have a module a month that keeps running. That way it will be “perpetual training.”
Turner was pleased with the graduates and with the instructors. “I would also like to thank each of the CERT instructors, Derek May, Brian Horne, Marshal Gohn, and Elaine Turner, for their part in making this a successful class. Also, thanks to our subject matter experts John Szamocki (of Thompson, Deputy Director Emergency Management) and Scott Belleville, who taught radio communications and Fire Safety and thank you to the current CERT members who helped with conducting the disaster drill.” For information on CERT, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The green vests are a visible symbol of safety. Belleville said all the volunteers carry first aid and have medical training. But it doesn’t stop there — for example, they have helped a lost child reunite with their parents. They can radio in to the police or fire departments.
“It’s all volunteer,” Belleville said. Funding comes from the federal Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, channeled through the state. That funding includes the classes, and backpacks. In the backpacks are a hard hat, the vest, first aid and medical supplies, gloves, ice packs, gauze, safety glasses and more.
About half of them are traffic incident management certified. 
Belleville said “It’s going great; it’s well received.” At the recent Main Street Car Cruise, Belleville said Putnam Police Chief Christopher Ferace came into the Region 4 trailer and complimented the CERT members working the event. “He said ‘It was great. We appreciate the help’.”
Belleville is cognizant of the risk of burning out the volunteers. He recently said to them. “Hey look, we’re not going to do the fairs this year because I don’t want to burn you out.” Their response? “They were up in arms. They wanted to do the fairs.”

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Aspinock Memories
Putnam Foundry and Machine Corp.
By Bill Pearsall, Municipal Historian
The hot and humid days of summer are continuing, and you might have sought some relief by stopping for ice cream at Deary Bros.  You may have noticed a sign that says: “Putnam Foundry Assessment Project” just before or after Deary Bros. depending on what direction you are going.   Looking around the area you can see a lot of open acreage.  So, what was there?
In 1884 The Putnam Foundry and Machine Corporation was in that area.  They made many products but were known for their furnace “The Plummer Steam Heater”. 
The “History of Windham County Connecticut by Bayles” says “one of the most promising among Putnam’s later industries is the Foundry and Machine Corporation, it was incorporated April 1, 1884.  A machine shop and other needful buildings were at once erected and the first cast manufactured was on August 27th that year.  They make a specialty of the Plummer Steam Heater, for which they hold the patent, but also manufacture castings of varied descriptions.  The steam heater is largely in demand and the business of the company is well established upon a permanent basis.  Some thirty or forty workmen find remunerative employment (good paying employment). This corporation was formed with the special object of adding to the substantial interests of the village and gives promise of abundant success.”
Mr. Orrin Morse was the president of the company.  Mr. William R. Barber, secretary, treasurer and efficient managing agent.  Henry G. Leonard, L.H. Fuller, Edward Mullan, J.C. Nichols and George E. Shaw completed the board of directors.
In the Putnam Directory of 1888, the back cover advertises The Putnam Foundry and Machine Corporation.  Putnam CT – Sole manufacturer of the Plummer Steam Heater.  Machinery and Castings from the best scotch iron.  The furnaces that the foundry manufactured were fueled by coal which was brought in by the railroad.
The following picture was manufactured by the Putnam Foundry and was found buried in the back yard of house on Woodstock Avenue in Putnam.

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Finessing
Last week the box culverts which will form the new Danco Drive bridge were hoisted into place and then finessed snugly into each other. The bridge is being rebuilt by NJR Construction of Southbury. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page. More photos on page 4. Linda Lemmon photo.

page 4, top to bottom:

The crew had to work the culvert under the large water line and snug it up against all its neighbor culverts. 

Shims help.

The water is being piped from one side to the other while 14 box culverts are being installed.

The box culverts that will carry the water are between 18 and 23 tons apiece and are immense. 

The crew used a delicate touch with everything from huge wrenches to a backhoe to line the culverts up. When the left side is finished, they will do the same on the right side and hope to finish the bridge by December.