Beaubien announces retirement after 24 years as Gill fire chief

Gill Fire Chief Gene Beaubien, pictured at the Fire Station, is retiring.

Gill Fire Chief Gene Beaubien, pictured at the Fire Station, is retiring. Staff Photo/Paul Franz

Gill Fire Chief Gene Beaubien, pictured at the Fire Station, is retiring.

Gill Fire Chief Gene Beaubien, pictured at the Fire Station, is retiring. Staff Photo/Paul Franz

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

Staff Writer

Published: 01-12-2025 1:01 PM

GILL — After decades of service with the all-volunteer Gill Fire Department, Fire Chief Gene Beaubien is ready to retire as he turns 70 on Monday, Jan. 27.

Beaubien, who has been chief since 2001, was authorized to extend his stay at the department past his 65th birthday following a 2019 Special Town Meeting vote and approval from the Legislature. In 2019, the chief said he was not ready to retire, but he now feels comfortable doing so.

“It’s time,” Beaubien said, adding, “I’ve done the 30 whatever years and I’m 70 years old. I’ve got things I can do with the house.”

Beaubien comes from a line of firefighters, with his grandfather serving as the Turners Falls fire chief in the 1950s. His uncle and cousins joined the Turners Falls call force as well. Beaubien recalls growing up across the street from the firehouse in Turners Falls.

“I was always going across the street with the Fire Department, just seeing what’s going on over there, and I knew the guys over there,” Beaubien recounted.

Beaubien joined the Gill Fire Department in 1977 as a firefighter and stayed until 1978, at which time he left the department for a few years. Eventually, he moved to Gill from Turners Falls in 1984 and rejoined the department in 1992.

From 1992 to 2001, he rose through the ranks, being elected to join the department’s Board of Engineers in 1993, becoming lieutenant in 1995, deputy chief the same year, then promoted to chief in 2001. Beaubien also serves as emergency management director, a role that he will keep even after his retirement as fire chief.

To help him recall the many years of service as a firefighter and department leader, Beaubien compiled a list of some highlights from his career. Outside of some of the major calls — like the Mohawk Plastics fire in Bernardston in 2003, a brush fire on North Cross Road in 2019 and responding to the French King Bridge multiple times prior to the 2023 barrier installation to help prevent suicides — Beaubien writes of the accomplishments of former Gill Fire Department volunteers.

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“Over a dozen Gill firefighters moved on to career departments during my time as chief,” Beaubien wrote. In Greenfield, there are six active-duty firefighters who started in Gill, and five current Gill firefighters were offered second interviews for two positions in Greenfield. Additionally, Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan started in Gill prior to Beaubien being chief.

Although the firefighters leaving their volunteer positions at the Gill department can be difficult, with Beaubien saying there are times when the roster is high and low, he will be leaving the department with a crew of 20 volunteers.

“This is the most we’ve had in quite a few years,” Beaubien said.

Even with some volunteers leaving to take full-time positions elsewhere, Beaubien said he’s always been proud to see them continue their careers in public service.

Despite a fluctuating staff and balancing his civilian and department careers, Beaubien has had success in improving the department by securing grant funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program and grants from the state for equipment, which are needed even with an increased budget. He also said he’s had the continued support of the Selectboard, most recently for getting a new brush truck and fire truck.

Beaubien has worked with Gill Police Chief Christopher Redmond for many years, dating back to 1992 when they both started work within six months of each other. When asked about their relationship, Redmond said he and Beaubien have created a supportive dynamic between the departments, given that both have part-time and volunteer staff that overlap.

“We definitely work well together. It’s been honed over decades, literally,” Redmond said. “Oftentimes with smaller communities, the police department will tap the resources of the fire department just because our staffing is limited, and Gene has always facilitated that, whether it’s helping us out with searches or something as minor as traffic control at the scene of an accident.”

As Beaubien prepares to retire, a new fire chief will be chosen by the 12-member Board of Engineers before Jan. 27.

In their reflection on a decades-long career in public service, Beaubien, Redmond and Town Administrator Ray Purington offered their appreciation to Dorri Beaubien. They say Dorri has supported Gene, her husband, as he responds to emergencies at all hours on any day of the year. Redmond described her as “an unsung hero” and Purington thanked her for sharing her husband with the town.

As for Chief Beaubien’s character as a leader and person, Redmond, as well as Purington, paint a picture of a dedicated public servant.

“He’s the type of guy that will wake up on a cold February morning at 3 a.m. for something as miniscule as a fire alarm that’s already been called in three times. Gene will still get up and go the third time,” Redmond said, with Purington saying if there is something bad happening in town, Beaubien’s going to be there, and when he calls, “It’s a call I’ll always take.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.