Rhinebeck board amends fire-protection contract after Hillside members urge continued service

The Rhinebeck Town Board voted on March 24 to amend its fire-protection contract so the portion of the town’s protective district currently covered by the Hillside Fire Department will be covered by the Rhinebeck Village Fire Department.

The action came after nearly two hours of public comment by Hillside officers, commissioners and longtime members arguing the volunteer company has regained members and can continue operations. Town board members said they acted out of concern for consistent emergency coverage for Rhinebeck residents.

Board members put the amendment on the floor as agenda item 2025-1-17 and moved to transfer coverage; the motion passed after discussion. The board framed the change as necessary to ensure public safety while Hillside rebuilds its volunteer ranks.

Hillside leaders said the company had recently recovered volunteers. “We now have 15 members, 6 firefighters that are interior,” Mark Long, chief of the Hillside Fire Department, told the board. He described two younger recruits enrolled in firefighter training and said equipment testing had been scheduled and completed.

John Hudock, president of the Hillside board of commissioners, said he and other Hillside officials were not informed directly when discussions began about dissolving the fire district and expressed frustration about the communication process. “It has come to our attention ... we are possibly losing that, and the dissolution of the firehouse,” Hudock said, adding that Hillside had engaged an attorney and attempted outreach.

Board members repeatedly said their primary concern was uninterrupted coverage. One board member said they did not want to “pull funding away” from Hillside if doing so would risk collapse, but that the town must follow the safest option for residents. Several board members urged Hillside to continue reporting back to the town with training and staffing updates; another suggested reviewing the arrangement at the end of the year.

Hillside commissioners and members described emotional ties to the company, its 94-year history and mutual-aid relationships with Rhinebeck. “Our heart is in it,” said Dennis McGuire, a life member of Hillside. He and other speakers asked the town to consider ways to preserve the firehouse and assets even if coverage arrangements change.

The board recorded the amendment as a formal contract change to move the protective coverage; it was put to a vote and approved. The board did not specify a timetable for any subsequent review beyond comments from several members suggesting a check-in later in the year.

The town and Hillside officials also discussed communications and next steps during the meeting. Commissioner Brian McGuire asked residents to bring concerns to the commissioners or the fire chief so the official channels are used for follow-up.

The board did not adopt any additional funding commitments for Hillside during the meeting and did not direct immediate asset transfers; the town’s description of the contract amendment indicated Rhinebeck would assume coverage for the affected portion of the protective district under the amended contract.