HUDSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) —Three friends reached the peak of leadership at the City of Hudson Fire Department. They commemorated the achievement by recreating a memorable photo after 25 years of service together.

At just 14 years old, three Hudson residents knew they wanted to give back to their community. Shawn Hoffman, Nicholas Pierro, and Michael McCrady joined the Explorer Program in 1998 and haven’t looked back since. Now, they are proud to be a part of the oldest volunteer fire department in New York state.

“Every kid loves to be a fireman. We were five, six years old when we became friends,” McCrady said. “It’s really humbling to be a part of this group with them.”

On January 8, Shawn Hoffman was promoted to Chief of Department. That same day, Nicolas Pierro became 1st Assistant Chief, and Michael McCrady Jr. became 2nd Assistant Chief.

“It means a lot. You have a second family doing this job,” Hoffman said.

Before the swearing-in ceremony, the firefighters recreated a photo taken in 1998. They stood in the same spot with the same pose, repeating history while making some in the process. 

“Yeah, it’s the first time it’s ever happened in the City of Hudson, in our fire department, that three explorers, we all started on the same day in the explorer post and now we are the three chiefs of the department,” Pierro said. “I think we’ve aged a little bit.”