Swampscott images burned into memory

SWAMPSCOTT – The photograph showing smoke and fire devouring the former New Ocean House hotel is creased, dog-eared and – according to fire Capt. Kevin Thompson – a crucial part of the town fire department?s history.Thompson and Fire Chief Kevin Breen have made preserving the department?s existing photograph collection a priority, and they have expanded their search for additional photos. They said they owe former firefighters who have retired or died a complete record chronicling the department?s history.?A lot of excellent people have worked at these jobs over the years: They shouldn?t be forgotten,” Thompson said.When they joined the department almost 40 years ago, Breen and Thompson worked side by side with firefighters who responded to the May 9, 1969 fire that leveled the New Ocean House oceanfront resort hotel.?I remember guys who were on the upper floors saying they could hear the fire roaring in the walls,” Breen said.When they launched an inventory of department historical records five years ago, the pair, along with firefighter Jim Snow, found relatively few photographs documenting town fires and “only a handful” from the New Ocean House fire.They launched a search for additional photographs and made progress when local train historian Hal Reynolds shared a collection of photos chronicling the February 1956 train crash in town that killed 13 people.?We went from zero to 25 photos overnight documenting just one incident,” Thompson said.The search broadened to department retirees and their friends and relatives, with responses yielding “several hundred” photographs.?A lot of them are in people?s personal collections,” Breen said.The department acquired a digital scanning machine to duplicate photographs, including a collection from The Daily Item archives documenting the New Ocean House fire and other local blazes fought by town firefighters.Breen said six retired town firefighters died in the last 18 months, underscoring the importance of preserving department history. He said photographs borrowed and scanned into the department?s collection can be displayed at annual retiree gathering and at firefighter funerals and memorials.?Our first mission is to collect as much history of the department as we can,” Breen said.