Beacon Hose was sad Monday to learn of the passing of Robert Butz, the son of our very first chief, George Butz Sr. On behalf of Beacon Hose’s officers, we send our condolences to Robert’s family and would like to share a bit of a lengthy story — but one very much worth reading — to illustrate the Butz family’s history with our department.

These two men shared an extraordinary connection with Beacon Hose — one which held beginning and end points more than a century apart. We’ll recap using a combination of our department history and a pair of news stories (which we’ll link to at the end).

George was elected the first foreman of Beacon Hose when it was established on May 11, 1899, as the Beacon Falls Fire Department (which was actually formed as the firefighting unit of the Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Company and housed in one of the company’s buildings).

Continue reading BHC’s Extraordinary History with George and Robert Butz →