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Hillside volunteer fire department to seek dissolution; Rhinebeck to plan transition of fire protection
Summary
The Hillside Volunteer Fire Department informed the Rhinebeck Town Board it intends to dissolve within about a year because of declining membership. The board said it will work with the department and town attorney to ensure fire protection coverage and address boundary issues with neighboring districts.
At the Jan. 27 Town Board meeting, officials reported that the Hillside Volunteer Fire Department has notified the town it is seeking to dissolve within roughly the next year because of declining membership. The town noted the department has served the community since 1939 and said it will work with the fire department and a town attorney to arrange an orderly transition so that residents continue to receive fire protection.
Board members said Hillside has a firehouse and equipment that will need to be managed as part of any dissolution. Officials described the matter as a priority and said their immediate focus is ensuring continued fire coverage for residents in the affected fire protection district.
Speakers also raised boundary issues between the Hillside and Pine Cliff fire districts along the river; the board said it would address district boundaries as part of the transition planning. No formal action to change district boundaries or to adopt an absorption plan was taken at the Jan. 27 meeting; the board described next steps as working with an attorney and staff to determine how to fold the department’s responsibilities into town service and to secure coverage for residents.
Board members and residents expressed appreciation for the volunteer service Hillside has provided for roughly 86 years and said they will work to reach a “good conclusion” for personnel, equipment and district coverage.
