Beacon Hose Co. No. 1 is the volunteer fire department, emergency medical service, and rescue provider of the small town of Beacon Falls, Connecticut. They are truly the centerpiece of the most beautiful town in the Naugatuck Valley; the company has proudly protected and served the town for many years. Beacon Hose Co. No 1 is now celebrating their 125th anniversary, and are throwing a large-scale celebration to commemorate their achievements and success, while also looking back on their rich history.
The Beacon Falls Fire Department was formed on May 11, 1899. A few years later, the department changed its name to Beacon Hose Co. No. 1. The original firehouse was the former Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Company Recreation Club building. Later in 1969, at a cost of $189,000, the present firehouse was built. The old firehouse remained standing for another two decades as a community center.
Beacon Hose has had plenty of proud moments in the company’s history. One of them occurred on Sept. 12, 2001, when a team of Beacon Hose volunteers rounded up relief supplies and drove all the way to Ground Zero to aid rescue workers after the terrorist attacks in New York City. Beacon Hose members painted a giant American flag on the pavement in front of the firehouse to show their support and honor the lives lost on that tragic day.
Another memorable week in Beacon Hose history happened late in the summer of 2017, when another crew of Beacon Hose volunteers took a trip down to Texas to deliver relief supplies to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Firefighter Cal Brennan, a volunteer on the trek down to Texas, felt that he needed to take a stand to help suffering people in Texas.
“I felt as if it was my duty to help,” expressed Brennan. “I couldn’t stand the fact that people were suffering from such a tragedy; I needed to contribute as much relief to those people as I could.” In just about 30 hours, the community collected more than $250,000 worth of relief supplies, all of which was sorted, packaged, and loaded by volunteers to be sent to Texas.
As the foundation of the community, Beacon Hose hosts countless events throughout the year. The crown jewel is the annual carnival and parade. The carnival has been the town’s biggest event since 1963, attracting an estimated 5,000 visitors and staging one of the state’s largest parades every June. Beacon Hose also hosts many community events, such as a Christmas parade, Easter egg hunt, Fire Prevention Week, and more events and fundraisers throughout the year. Proceeds from the fundraisers help Beacon Hose give back to the community.
Thanks to the dedication of Beacon Hose, neighbors and friends know they can count on them. Whether people face an emergency, need a helping hand, have a question, or want to enjoy an event with their families and friends. Beacon Hose stands ready to continue service to the Town of Beacon Falls with the pledge to serve, protect, and help make Beacon Falls a safe and caring community in which to live.
To celebrate their success and 125th anniversary of the company’s establishment, Beacon Hose invited the community from Beacon Falls, friends from other fire departments throughout the area, and the public to celebrate Beacon Hose on Saturday, November 16th at the Waterview Banquet Hall in Monroe. The celebration was organized by Beacon Hose Event Coordinator, Morgan Betti.
“It was truly an amazing night,” said Betti. “It was a nice change of scenery to celebrate our accomplishments for once.”