In 1876 Ulysses S. Grant was president of the United States, Alexander Graham Bell received his first patent for a new-fangled contraption called the telephone, and the U.S. was celebrating its 100th birthday. That’s also the year that the Sleepy Hollow Fire Department (SHFD) was organized.
“The Fire Department is almost as old at the Village itself. It was formed to protect the Village and has done so for a century and a half” said Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio. “All of the credit goes to the hundreds of volunteers that have sacrificed their time to make Sleepy Hollow (and North Tarrytown) the great community that it is.”
Even though the SHFD has been around since before the automobile, it’s not the oldest fire department in our area. The Ossining Fire Department was founded in 1812 and calls itself “Westchester’s Oldest.” The Irvington FD has been fighting fires since 1880, and the fire departments in Briarcliff Manor and Pocantico Hills have also been protecting their communities for more than a century.
The Sleepy Hollow Fire Department also made history in its 149th last year, when the first Dominican American chief in its history was sworn in. “I feel honored to be able to step into the role of a leader in the community, and to be a role model for our youth – because they are the leaders of tomorrow” said Chief of Department Steven Bencosme. “It’s incredibly fulfilling, but to me, it’s also the least I can do for a community that has given me so much.”
And the chief has a big supporter in Village Administrator Giaccio “Chief Bencosme is a born leader. He has done a great job as chief. One of his major assets is his ability to recruit younger volunteers that will serve the Village for many years to come.”
pulled by man-power to transport fire hoses.
The SHFD consists of five individual fire companies – the Sleepy Hollow Fire Patrol, Pocantico Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, Rescue Hose Company No. 1, Union Hose Engine Company No. 2, and Columbia Hose Company No. 3. Chief Bencosme is in charge of all those companies, but they also have their own leadership “Each company also has its own line officers and a President who manage the day-to-day operations within their respective company.”
Chief Bencosme became part of the SHFD as a Junior Firefighter when he was just 14 years old “I joined the fire department alongside a group of about 15 of my friends. At first, it was about giving back to the community that raised me and fulfilling a sense of service. But it quickly became something much more.”
Before becoming chief of department in April of 2025, he served as 1st Assistant Chief for two years and 2nd Assistant Chief for two years before that.
Besides running the department, the chief is also a school resource officer and a coach. But his dream was always to become a firefighter “I grew up just a few doors down from the firehouse, so as a kid I would always see the trucks heading out on calls. I used to hop on my bike and follow them, only as far as the corner, because that’s as far as I was allowed to go. When I was finally old enough to join, I took that opportunity so I could go beyond the corner and be part of the response. That childhood curiosity turned into a lifelong commitment to serving others.”
And now Chief Bencosme is serving the community he was born and raised in, during his department’s historic 150th birthday year. And that means a year-long celebration “We’re celebrating with a series of events from April through October, with something planned each month to engage both our members and the community.” That includes a parade, community carnival, an emergency services open house, a food truck event with fireworks, and more. For more information you can visit https://sleepyhollowfd.org/news/219/Come-out-and-support-your-local-fire-department-and-help-us-celebrate-150-years.
Deputy Chief Richard Gross is the chairman of the parade committee, and he’s served the department for 53 years “I’m fourth generation in this department, and many volunteers are generational. A lot have come up through the ranks following in their fathers and grandfather’s footsteps.”
Deputy Chief Gross was also chief of department on 9/11 “Members of the FDNY treated us like gold that day, they were so supportive of the volunteers. They needed support.”
The Deputy Chief says he was summoned to Village Hall along with the mayor and police chief at around 11 that morning to “make a game plan if we were called into the city.”
They were called in, so they immediately started dispatching volunteers into NYC. Gross says they first went to a staging area at 233rd Street in the Bronx, joining other departments from outside the city. “We went down with an engine, ladder and rescue squad. Then the SHFD’s “rescue unit was dispatched into Manhattan to cover a firehouse that responded to the World Trade Center site. Four of five of our members went to Ground Zero every day to assist with recovery and removal.”
He adds, Sleepy Hollow’s men were honored to help their colleagues at the FDNY “They lost 343 people. We were there to back them up at a minute’s notice.”
Chief Bencosme says he’s proud of the way the department responded on that horrible day, and every day “We’ve had countless members who have answered the call without hesitation and put others before themselves. While there are many individuals deserving of recognition, our legacy is built on the collective dedication and sacrifice of generations of firefighters.”
