The spirit that guided the former chief of the Stratfield Volunteer Fire Department, who died at 85 in May 2006, was evident Monday as the fire station on Jackman Avenue was dedicated in his memory, despite nasty weather. Another distraction to the event was a pickup truck crash nearby just before the ceremony got under way. The silver lining was that no one was injured in the accident.

So dedication of the neighborhood fire facility as the Lester H. Hartman Memorial Fire Station did, in fact, go on.

Former Department Chief Joseph Olzacki said Hartman "gave so much to this town."

Hartman "was my mentor," he added.

Hartman's family, including his son, Jeff Hartman, came from Pennsylvania to attend the event.

"What an honor it is to have this tribute being paid to my dad," said the younger Hartman, a former Fairfield police officer.

All the volunteers who started fire rescue services in town more than 30 years ago, he said, however, deserve the tribute.

"It took a lot of guts to do what they did," he said.

Peter Kopko, chief of the Southport Volunteer Fire Department, knows that well.

He recalled performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation back in the 1970s on the tailgate of a moving ambulance under Hartman's tutelage.

"There were few people that cared so much about the fire service," he said.

The Stratfield department, one of two volunteer departments in town, dates to 1920, 37 years before the town introduced its first paid firefighters. The Southport Volunteer Fire Department traces its roots to 1895.

Hartman joined Stratfield in 1961, served as president from 1967 to 1970 and as chief from 1971 to 1986.

He also helped doctors, nurses and orderlies in Bridgeport Hospital's emergency room in the 1970s to learn more about treating a variety of injuries.

He got the department its first Hurst Tool, or the "Jaws of Life," used to extricate people from motor vehicle accidents.

Chief Christopher Burlant unveiled the plaque naming the station in Hartman's honor, then awarded inaugural scholarships in his name.

Four department members each were given state grants of $1,225 for education, Burlant said.

Aaron Leo, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6222.