All posts by Beacon Hose

Beacon Hose Fights Fire at Morning Wood Drive Home

Beacon Hose responded to Morning Wood Drive on Friday, June 25, for a structure fire. After the initial dispatch at 8:09 a.m., firefighter Kevin O’Connell, who lives on the same road, reported heavy fire coming from the home.

We activated our daytime mutual-aid fire protocol, which brought incoming apparatus and manpower from the Naugatuck Fire Department, Oxford Center Volunteer Fire Company, Bethany Volunteer Fire Department, Citizens’ Engine Co. No. 2, and Great Hill Hose Co. Beacon Hose’s Truck 6 and Engine 3 were on the assignment.

Firefighter Mark Pinto, who lives across the street from the home, had already prepared the hydrant and immediately hit the hydrant when Beacon Hose’s Truck 6 arrived first on scene. We established an initial line from Truck 6’s water supply to make a defensive attack on the body of the fire, and additional lines (and later the ladder pipe) were established as soon as flow was established from the hydrant. The bulk of the fire was knocked down within about 20 minutes.

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BHC Mourns Passing of Past Chief Ted Smith, CSFA Hall of Famer

Beacon Hose is heartbroken and devastated to announce the passing of Past Chief Ted Smith — a man who was quite simply a legend in the Connecticut fire service. Chief Smith died Saturday, shortly after a medical procedure. He lived every single bit of 75 years — the last 51 of which were spent at Beacon Hose.

Chief Smith joined Beacon Hose in August 1970, but he had been involved with our fire department for much longer than that. He was the son of Past Chief Arthur Smith, who led Beacaon Hose from 1956-61, and frequented the firehouse throughout that time.

After joining Beacon Hose in 1970, Teddy soon became one of our department’s first EMTs. He first became an officer as a lieutenant under Joe Daddona in 1986, rose to the rank of captain under Tom Pratt and Bob Cole, and spent five years as assistant chief under Billy Lee. Finally, Ted served as chief from 1997-2000, completing the first father-son chief combination in Beacon Hose history.

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Beacon Hose Mourns Passing of Longtime Member Peter Christensen

We at Beacon Hose are sad and regretful to announce the passing of longtime member Peter Christensen, who died April 3 with family and friends by his side.

Pete joined Beacon Hose in January 1975 and held countless roles in our organization over the past 46 years. In addition to being a firefighter and an EMT, he was a past EMS director and the longtime chairperson of our scholarship committee, where he oversaw the awards of more than $100,000 to Beacon Falls students over the past few decades.

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BHC Corned Beef Dinner to Benefit Firefighter Nate Cartwright

UPDATE: Orders are now closed. Thanks for your support!

Beacon Hose will host a drive-thru corned beef dinner on Saturday, March 20, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. to benefit one of our own, firefighter/EMR Nate Cartwright.

Nate joined Beacon Hose in November 2015 and has been a valuable contributor on our fire and EMS units ever since. Unfortunately, Nate has recently faced some serious health troubles that have saddled him and his family with costly medical bills. We at Beacon Hose are here to help him out, and we hope you will join us!

All dinners must be pre-ordered and pre-paid, and they picked up during a designated time slot at Beacon Hose. Pre-ordering will close on Wednesday, March 17 — there will be no day-of orders available, so don’t wait!

What’s on the menu? A delicious dinner featuring corned beef (boiled in Guinness and veggies), potatoes, cabbage, onions, and carrots, along with rye bread and butter, plus a special “pistachio pudding lasagna” for dessert.

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Beacon Hose Mourns Loss of Bob Messner, Longest-Serving Member

We at Beacon Hose are brokenhearted and regretful to announce that Robert Messner, the longest-serving member in the history of our fire department, died peacefully at his home March 2, 2021, after a long illness. He was 91 years old, and he was a member of Beacon Hose for nearly 63 years.

Bob joined Beacon Hose in July 1958 and had been a fixture in our firehouse since then. He was not only a dedicated firefighter for many years, but he was a master mechanic who worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. He carried those skills here to Beacon Hose with his work on our beloved 1929 Seagrave and countless apparatus replacement committees. He was a role model for our members and engineers for decades — Past Chief Ted Smith said that Bob was a “top-notch mechanic” who “taught me everything I know about the Seagrave.”

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