BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
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CLAREMONT — City councilors unanimously approved a request on Wednesday to dedicate a Claremont Fire Department engine after former Fire Chief Rick Bergeron.
With the request decisively passing, resident Phil Castenay has announced that he will volunteer his time and materials to adorn the doors of Ladder-2, a 2014 Emergency One Quint ladder truck, with the dedication to the former chief. Bergeron held various roles in the Claremont Fire Department for 40 years before his retirement in December 2017.
“Rick Bergeron is, in my humble opinion, one of the best fire chiefs I’ve ever worked with,” City Manager Ryan McNutt said. “He’s still available. I could text him right now and get a response from him. He’s still someone who is incredibly dedicated to the city.”
His successor, Bryan Burr, proposed the dedication, citing Bergeron’s long tenure with the city and dedication to the department. Bergeron was instrumental in the process of acquiring the nearly $1 million ladder truck, Burr said.
“It’s anticipated that Ladder-2, as it’s known, will serve the city of Claremont for several decades and will honor the dedication Rick had for the department,” Burr said in his proposal.
The proposal sped through its adherence review against the council’s naming of city-owned property ordinance, earning nods in all requirements of the policy. Although the request was the second time that the ordinance was invoked since it was adopted in November, its approval means that the ladder truck will be the first vehicle in the city’s fleet to be dedicated to a former chief.
Bergeron joined the department in April 1972 as an on-call firefighter before becoming a career firefighter for the department in July 1977. He ascended the ranks of the department throughout his career until he became chief in 2011.
Major projects that he has been involved with include the successful application and awarding of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, wireless fire alarm modernization projects and procuring the grant for an emergency generator at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center.
During his tenure with the city, Bergeron served concurrent roles as fire warden and manager for the Claremont Municipal Airport – the only city department’s to generate more revenue than expended. He jumpstarted plans to renovate a hangar at the airport, adding a café with scenic views of the surrounding mountains to attract pilots.
Burr said he eventually plans to hold a dedication ceremony for his predecessor, but no date has yet been announced.
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