A New York Senate proclamation honoring the life of a beloved former Northern Westchester fire chief, Raymond Baker, was presented to his family months after his sudden death.

The proclamation, prepared by New York State Sen. Peter Harckham, was presented to the family of former Somers Fire Chef and Golden’s Bridge Deputy Fire Chief Raymond Baker, Sr. the Golden’s Bridge Fire Department announced on Thursday, March 13.
Baker, who died unexpectedly in his sleep on Saturday, March 9 at the age of 64, was a firefighter who served for several decades with the Hartsdale, Somers, and Golden's Bridge Fire Department.

The proclamation honored Baker for his lengthy career, which included 33 years as a career firefighter in Hartsdale from 1980 to 2013; a decade serving in Somers from 2007 to 2017, during which time he held several leadership and officer ranks, including Lieutenant, Captain, Second and First Assistant Chief, and Fire Chief; and eight years with Golden's Bridge Fire Department until his death, where he became a Deputy Chief in 2017.

Harckham presented the proclamation to Baker's sons, Golden’s Bridge Fire Department Captain Raymond Baker, Jr. and Ryan Baker, a mathematics teacher at BOCES Westchester.

The Baker family gave a statement following the presentation: "We are grateful to the State Senate and to Sen. Harckham for this special recognition of our father and his decades of service to others. Helping people wasn’t his job, it was his passion."
"This proclamation is a lasting tribute to the way he lived his life – always giving back to the community by doing what he loved most," the family's statement continued.

In addition to presenting the proclamation, Harckham gave remarks at the Golden's Bridge firehouse calling attention to his lifetime of helping others, which included joining hundreds of other firefighters to assist with the recovery efforts at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks.
Harckham's proclamation said Baker would "always be remembered as a loving and devoted husband and father, a skilled firefighter and compassionate leader, and a selfless person who placed helping others ahead of himself," according to the Golden's Bridge Fire Department.