BEACON – The City of Beacon’s first career fire chief, Gary Van Voorhis, ended his career with a retirement ceremony at City Hall Monday evening.
Van Voorhis, a Dutchess County native, served in the Peoria, Illinois Fire Department for 46 years before moving back home and taking the job in Beacon in 2013.
He acknowledged that being a firefighter requires a lot of sacrifice.
“A life as a firefighter is not an 8 to 5 job. It’s long, has rotating schedules, and affects the family life at our home,” he said.
Van Voorhis began firefighting when he was 16 and reflected on how his mother would drive him to the firehouse since he was too young to drive himself.
Former Newburgh Assistant Fire Chief Tom Lucchesi is the new chief of the Beacon department.
