This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

An Exciting and Successful July 4th in Madison

Thousands of people made their way to Madison over the July 4 holiday for the concert, fireworks show, and the parade. To the public eye, everything seemed to go off without a hitch and local emergency officials confirmed that while there were a few minor event, all and all the holiday ran smoothly from a safety perspective as well. At a recent Board of Police Commissioner’s meeting, Madison Police Captain Joe Race said, speaking specifically to the fireworks, there were no traffic incidents and despite the large number of people who made their way to the docks that evening, everything ran smoothly.

“It was very well attended and it went off without a hitch, so we thank the fire services and we had more officers out there than we ever have because it keeps growing and this keeps getting bigger,” he said.

Race also pointed out that the public should be aware of how much time the Fire Department puts into the fireworks event. Firefighters were out on the barge with the fireworks starting at 7:30 a.m. the morning of the show.

“They sat out there and did patrolling around that barge, in case anyone got too close, for 14 hours,” he said. “It’s a testament to the commitment of all the services in town and from my perspective I thank them all and all our officers who came from out of town—Branford, Guilford, [and] state police came to help us out.”

Patrolling the barge was just the first of two long stints of time the firefighters at Madison Hose Co. #1 spent out on the water over the holiday. On July 4, Madison Hose responded to a report of a missing nine-year-old girl at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Firefighter Chris Dowler said Madison Hose, Madison Police, and emergency crews from Clinton, Guilford, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. The girl was eventually found safe and sound on another section of the beach, but initial reports suggested the girl was in the water, so multiple search and rescue boats were launched off the beaches at Hammonasset.

Madison Hose Co. firefighters said they were able to get on the water at least 10 minutes faster than usual with this call because of their new fireboat.

The boat, a new Zodiac boat and trailer, were purchased last calendar year through the town and was put into service this spring. The boat replaces the prior 1997 Zodiac and has several features that make it easier to move and launch, according to Lieutenant Jeffrey Young.

“We had issues with the other boat...We couldn’t launch it very well because we had to launch it over the sand and it was about 1,400 pounds,” he said. “This boat weights 300 pounds and it has wheels on the back, so we can drop those down and we can actually pull the boat across the sand. Two guys can pick up the bow and everything else can follow right behind it.”

Due to the weight and design of the boat, the Fire Department is also able to launch the boat in more locations than it had been able to previously.

“This was launched at West Beach,” said Dowler, referring to the July 4 search. “In this scenario last year, we would have launched the boat down at Meigs Point and then would have had to go around the break and the jetty and go down to West Beach. Here we were able to roll right up to the beach, unload it, and I think it was quicker than a 10-minute spread from what we normally do.”

The boat can be launched on a lake and any time of year as long as the water isn’t frozen solid.

“It’s just another tool in our tool box,” said Dowler. “The key is really that it reduces the response time.”