Article by Jean Noack
Photo Credits of Interior Photos: Jean Noack
Photo Credits of Exterior Photos: Katie Hellmuth
Photos may not be re-used without written permission from the photographers.

A standing room only crowd attended the dedication of the centralized City of Beacon fire station on Nov. 16, 2024. Folding chairs had been set up in the massive truck bay of the new facility, which Mayor Lee Kyriacou called an “architectural gem.”

Denise Doring Van Buren, president of the Beacon Historical Society, moderated the ceremony as well as gave a history of the Beacon firefighting. Other speakers were Beacon City Administrator Chris White, Beacon Fire Chief Thomas Lucchesi and Mayor Lee Kyriacou.

The Mayor noted in 2006, a bold recommendation was made for a centralized fire station for Beacon. It was a controversial proposal coming out of a formal study on how to improve the City’s three firehouse situation.

Construction on the Wolcott Avenue site started in 2023 and was finished in Oct. 2024.

According to the Mayor, “The real reason this thing got done was Chris White. Let me just be absolutely clear. He made the key recommendation that we shift (the bays) to 9D, that we build sustainability into this building and that we invest in the façade. Along with those recommendations he oversaw all the construction and brought it in on time and on budget. Thank you.”

The Mayor also noted, “We have here today…a special building, a unique and natural addition to our city. It is state of the art firefighting, designed to keep our firefighters safe. It is a sustainable building. It is all electric with geo thermal heating and cooling.”

He also noted the high efficiency insulation and electric charging stations. The Mayor said: “The last investment in the building was a true brick façade with unique architectural details in harmony with Beacon’s Main St.”

He ended with noting a challenge that still remains. “The ‘people challenge’ is still with us,” he said. He said the city will have to work hard to recruit volunteers to supplement the paid firefighting staff. The decline in volunteers is a national trend that Beacon will have to deal with.

The ceremony was followed by self-guided tours of the facility. The tiny bunk rooms were seen, with views from the single windows of the Hudson River making them seem fitting for the heroes that will rest there. A gleaming kitchen, the chief’s office, a decontamination room, locker areas, exercise room, laundry facilities were part of the tour.

The newly paved public parking lot on 9D next to the fire station is now open. It was used as a staging ground for the construction equipment during the build.