Fourth platoon Firefighter Dave Beaulac, Sr. of the Troy Fire Department is retiring after 29.5 years of highly dedicated service to the residents of the City of Troy.

Dave Beaulac, Sr. was sworn into the Troy Fire Department on July 24, 1994, and was first assigned to Engine 1 in Lansingburgh. Firefighter Beaulac spent four years of his career on Engine 1 before moving to Engine 5 at central station. Dave spent three years on Engine 5 before it went out of service. Not wanting to move from central station and the busyness of the firehouse and his crew, Dave moved to the rescue squad for two years. After two years of running multiple calls from central station, Dave moved down to South Troy for two years at Engine 6. His final move was back to the rescue squad for 18.5 years to finish out this career.

On September 10th, 2011, Dave stood by his son, Dave Beaulac, Jr., as he was sworn into his position with the Troy Fire Department. On December 26, 2023, on Dave Beaulac, Sr.'s last night on the job, his son was working by his side. Beaulac Sr. has been one of the very few firefighters that gets to remain on his platoon, which is the fourth platoon in his entire 29.5-year career.

Dave Beaulac, Sr. is regarded as the senior man of the rescue squad for the fourth platoon, working some of the City of Troy‘s biggest fires in the history of the city, including the 119th St. fire over 15 years ago that destroyed nine buildings in temperatures below 32°F with the wind chill. During Beaulac, Sr.'s time on the job, one of the most memorable events was a rescue down in South Troy on Fourth St. of a female that was trapped in her home by fire. Beaulac, Sr. was successfully able to get her out of her home while crews worked to knock down the fire. Beaulac, Sr. was always seen on the fire grounds as a working man, whether it's venting the windows on a fire scene, hanging out a window hitting fire in the eaves, covered in insulation, or soot from the fire on his face. Being the senior man and highly respected, a lot of the other firefighters on the job looked up to Dave for the knowledge that he could pass down that he had learned over the nearly 3 decades of working on the City of Troy’s busiest rig. 

Firefighter Dave Beaulac, Sr.’s last day was full of visitors to the central fire station, including family members, firefighters from other stations, and members of the Troy Fire Department that had retired. When asked what he was going to miss the most about the job, without any hesitation Dave stated, “The guys and the job itself. It's going to be a big void to fill." Dave plans to relax and spend more time with his grandkids, family, and his friends during his retirement.