BEACON – The $537,000 federal SAFER grant that will enable the City of Beacon to hire three additional professional firefighters will be available in January. They will bring the city’s compliment of paid members to 16.
Chief Gary Van Voorhis said on Wednesday the city hopes to select the candidates from current civil service lists. Those selected will then have to take firefighter training class.
“The first class is February 2nd, so I would say before they graduate and go through everything, they won’t be on duty working until June of next year. The state classes are in the spring and fall and we missed the fall class,” he said.
Under the federal grant, Washington will provide 75 percent of the cost of the firefighters in the first two years and 45 percent in the third year, Mayor Randy Casale said.
Beacon, like the Middletown city department, is a hybrid of career firefighters and volunteers.
At the present time, Beacon has 21 volunteers within the ranks of its fire service.
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, who attended a news conference in front of Beacon fire headquarters, said the volunteer members have saved the city countless dollars over the years.
