DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW   

     An area leading combination volunteer and paid fire department that has been protecting the City of Beacon since the city's establishment in 1913. We provide fire and rescue services to the City of Beacon with a staff of roughly 60 volunteer firefighters, 13 full-time paid firefighters, and 1 full-time & 2 part-time support personnel. The department operates out of three fire houses that house 6 fire apparatuses. We respond to around 1,750 runs a year, while boasting the county's fastest response time.

     We are in battalion 7 of the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, and operate as department 33.

     The City of Beacon is located on the southern tip of Dutchess County, in the fast growing Mid-Hudson Region. Just over a hour north of New York City, in it's northern suburbs, the City of Beacon contains over 16,000 people with a daily workforce/ tourist population of over 25,000 people in just a 4.7 square mile area.

     The City of Beacon contains a wide variety of both urban and suburban residential, commercial, and industrial areas lying within its city limits. Overall it contains approximately 5,500 homes and 1,000 commercial businesses. Beacon also contains two state correctional facilities, several nursing homes, numerous public & private schools, a large medical center, a number of industrial businesses, various boutiques & stores along Main Street, and numerous multiple residences. The city also contains numerous world-renown art museums and facilities that include the DIA Center and Tallix Sculpture Facility. In addition the department also covers a section of Interstate 84 and the Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, which carries Interstate 84 over the Hudson River. Lastly, the department is responsible for covering a portion of the Hudson River and the city's waterfront.

     In addition to providing first due coverage to the City of Beacon, the department also is often assigned to runs in the outskirts of the city. This area is primarily the Town of Fishkill and includes a population of about 10,000 people in an area of about 20 square miles. This area also includes Dutchess Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Ray's minor league team the Hudson Valley Renegades.

     In addition to "traditional" firefighting duties, and to provide the best possible service to the residents; the department responds with at least two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to all life threatening medical calls within the city with the local ambulance providers, Beacon Volunteer Ambulance and Alamo EMS. The department's personnel are also trained in confined space, technical, and specialized rescue. The fire department is also trained in and capable of commanding each and every emergency in the city whether its an auto accident, a hazardous materials incident, or a natural disaster.