On Sunday, March 5th in the afternoon, the members of the Bedford Fire Department lowered the flag at 34 Village Green, which until that day had been the Department’s first and only firehouse. The flag was lowered and folded by Captain Keith Branche, Lieutenant Ari Kellner, and FF Kyle Carleton. Chief Andrew Klein thanked the membership, and the family and friends gathered to witness, for joining us for this bittersweet moment.

Our firefighters and EMTs then walked the 1/3 of a mile to the new headquarters at 550 Old Post Road. As we left, the fire horn at the old firehouse sounded one last time, bringing tears to our eyes as we walked away.

Passersby waved and honked along the way, and we arrived at 550 Old Post to find our mutual aid partners waiting to welcome us to our new home. Bedford Hills FD raised their tower ladder with a flag for us to cross below, and members of Armonk FD, Banksville FD, Bedford Hills FD, Katonah FD, Katonah Bedford Hills VAC, Mount Kisco FD, Mount Kisco VAC, Pound Ridge FD, Pound Ridge VAC, and Westchester EMS cheered us as we entered the driveway.

All in attendance stood at attention as we raised the flag at the new headquarters, then watched as we performed a ceremonial fire service tradition called a “Push In.” The term “Push In” predates combustion engines: after a fire, the fire wagons would park outside the firehouse to unhitch the horses, and then be pushed into the apparatus bay. We pushed our first due ambulance and first due engine into their respective bays to much applause, and then officially notified Westchester County Emergency Services Dispatch that we were in the new building. Dispatch welcomed us to our new home and marked us in service at 550 Old Post Road as of March 5, 2023 at 14:26 hours.