Honoring Shoreline Heroes

Local police and firefighters are at the forefront of protecting and caring for our community, whether it’s taking down a drug user, comforting a fire victim, or coming together to honor a fallen comrade.

The Branford Exchange Club celebrated these heroes at its banquet held last month at The Woodwinds, Honoring Shoreline Heroes.

Five of Branford’s finest – three within the fire department and two within the police department – were honored along with those from North Branford and Guilford.

Retired Fire Chief Jack Ahern received the Special Distinguished Award for 35 years of dedicated service, which was presented by current Fire Chief Tom Mahoney. Mahoney cited Ahern for his ​“great community contributions.”

With longtime family ties to firefighting, Deputy Chief Timothy Murray began his career in 1998 and has served as Lieutenant and Captain of Short Beach Company 4; he is a member of Rescue Company 1 and is a Deputy Chief for the department. Along with his firefighting skills, his technological expertise has been invaluable to the department in keeping it current with information technology, Computer-Aided Dispatch, and mobile data terminals. Moreover, he’s become a mentor and role model for younger volunteers.

As his day job, Murray is chief technology officer for NEXGEN Public Safety Solutions.

Craig Rourke accepted the Exchange Club’s award for Fightfighter/EMT Eugene Hayes, whom he described as a ​“firefighter’s firefighter.” Hayes has taken part in the National Fallen Firefighters Association, which recently honored 87 firefighters. He was hired as a fulltime firefighter/EMT 1989, starting as a volunteer with M.P. Rice Company, and became captain in 2006; he was appointed a Deputy Fire Marshall in 2011. He was also an EMT and a supernumerary police officer.

Hayes is a primary researcher for the department, providing solutions that contribute to its success. He is known for his ​“thoughtful, steady nature.” He has received various awards for his contributions within the department.

Two Branford police officers were recognized.

Officer Joseph Herten, here being congratulated by Dr. Henry Lee, has been a member of the department since 2004 after serving as Military Police Corps Supervisor with the U.S. Army. He received a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven. Within the Branford Police Department, he is a member of the SWAT team, Honor Guard, and bicycle unit, and a field training officer. He has been instrumental in fundraising for the Special Olympics and has set a personal goal of raising $20,000 for the upcoming year. He has been commended for his investigations into the dealing of illegal narcotics in town, heading an investigation in which more than $140,000 in wine was stolen from a local distributor.

Dr. Lee congratulates Officer Marc Andrew, who has served the public in a variety of capacities – as a volunteer firefighter in North Branford, an EMT for various ambulance services, and most recently as a dispatcher and patrol officer for the Branford Police Department, where he has received numerous commendations. His intuition led to the arrest of individuals in two incidents, one in which his cruiser was rammed and another in which two concealed handguns were discovered; he has also made numerous narcotics arrests.

Also receiving awards were Kyle Conlin and Alexander Shamp of the North Branford Fore Department; Officer Brian Hannon and Sergeant Mario Bernardo of the North Branford Police Department; Deputy Chief Robert Auger and Captain Michael Shove of the Guilford Fire Department; and Det. Martina Jakober of the Guilford Police Department. Retired Police Chief Thomas Terribile received a Special Distinguished Award for 40 years of dedicated service.

Although the awards were the highlight of the evening, Dr. Henry Lee, a distinguished forensic scientist, spoke to the audience about the importance of police and firefighters in public safety. He said he had been a police officer in Taiwan in 1959, before coming to the US in 1964 with $50 in his pocket and knowing no English. ​“I still don’t speak English, but I have lots of money in my pocket,” he said, extolling the virtue of hard work.

As a gift to the police and firefighters, he presented them with a framed fingerprint and autograph.

Exchange Club President Jack Mushin said there was ​“no shortage of deserving officers to be honored.”

State Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. and State Rep. Sean Scanlon thanked the ​“men and women in uniform and their families” for the service.

Walt ​“Happy” Dodson (5th from right), president of the Connecticut Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, explained the mission of the organization and dedication to protecting children. He said they strive to ​“empower kids to become kids again.” It’s a worldwide organization that has helped 8,000 kids and put 4,000 abusers in jail. He said that members go through an FBI check and training, and support families in court proceedings as ​“family.” They also have the support of law enforcement officials.

Such an event would not be complete without music: The bagpipes and drums of New Haven County Emerald Society Pipes and Drum Band started off the evening; the Yale Alley Cats sang the National Anthem; and Amanda Pogach closed out the evening with God Bless America.

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