POUGHKEEPSIE – The City of Poughkeepsie watched on Friday as 31 years of service walked out of the firehouse for the last time. Fire Chief Joe Franco was saluted by his department and representatives of several other departments while elected officials watched, and city dispatcher Dan Schultz issued Franco’s last dispatch.
Franco joined the Navy in 1985 and served on the USS Iowa and the USS Vandergrift before becoming a dispatcher with the city in 1995. He was appointed firefighter in 1996 and immediately went to the fire academy. Franco’s Navy career lasted 21 years before retiring as Chief Petty Officer. Franco was promoted to lieutenant in 2001 and became deputy chief in 2017 when former Deputy Chief Ed Decker retired. Then-Mayor and current State Senator Rob Rolison named Franco as the chief in 2022, and he attended on Friday, along with Mayor Yvonne Flowers.
“Joe Franco brings a wealth of knowledge to the position of fire chief, having risen in the fire department ranks and serving in so many different capacities – command, firefighting, building and code inspections, emergency care among them,” Rolison said when he put Franco in charge. “His experience and knowledge of the community will be invaluable as he takes on this critically important public safety role.”
Franco has been battling cancer for a while, which expedited his retirement. “This is not the way I wanted to go out, but I’ve lost weight at least,” he joked at the retirement party at the award-winning . Reminiscing, Franco said, “The little fires that we knocked down, that people don’t talk about or remember, are the best ones – the places we’ve saved. Six months to a year later and they are better than before the fire.”
Franco, who is not a fan of public speaking, credited his men for his time. “I listened and I learned something from everybody, and it was a really good time.”
Poughkeepsie Fire Department Local 596 Union President Nick Bucher credited Franco wit,h boosting morale within the department when he was appointed chief. “Enough cannot be said about Joe Franco,” Bucher told . “Chief Franco embodies the very best of public service. As a Navy veteran, dispatcher, firefighter, and officer, he dedicated his life to this profession and to the people who serve in it. He was an advocate for our members, fighting for equipment that we desperately needed and helping rebuild the ranks that had been reduced under previous administrations.” The increase in staffing was a focus of Franco’s, and he sought several grants to get equipment to keep the firefighters safer. “For many of us, Joe was the light at the end of a long tunnel. He boosted the morale of our entire department by standing up for the members of this job and always working toward a stronger, more united organization. His legacy is one of cooperation, collaboration, and unwavering dedication to the fire service and the people within it. He will be greatly missed, and we thank him for his service, his leadership, and his friendship.”
Comments