By Isadora Vail
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
GEORGETOWN, Texas — When Georgetown Fire Chief Anthony Lincoln was in elementary school in Georgetown, he would go out on emergency calls with his father, who was a volunteer firefighter.
After 29 years with the Fire Department, Lincoln retired Friday. City officials, firefighters and other area fire chiefs attended the ceremony at Fire Station 1 off of Industrial Avenue.
“It’s going to be different because for the last 29 years all I’ve known is this department,” Lincoln said. “This is a joyous day for me.”
He began as a firefighter in 1979, when he was 21 and the department had only four full-time firefighters. He was promoted to captain in 1985 and became chief in 1999.
Now, at the age of 50, Lincoln has seen the department grow to 66 firefighters.
“Each of you hold a special place in my heart,” said Lincoln, whose voice quivered throughout his speech as he talked to the crowd of his firefighters, peers and city officials. “It’s never easy saying goodbye.”
Les Bunte, a former Georgetown fire chief, said Lincoln has done “an extraordinary job of building the department.”
Bunte said he was proud to see Lincoln, who was a captain when they worked together, move from the lowest rank to the highest.
“I think when a person is able to do that, it speaks volumes of their ability,” Bunte said.
Laura Stofle, who worked with Lincoln for more than 20 years, was also moved by the ceremony. Stofle started at the Fire Department as a secretary when Lincoln was captain, and she moved up to analyst, overseeing the department’s budget.
Young firefighters always wanted to work for Lincoln, Stofle said.
“He was just the one everyone knew they could count on.”
But Lincoln’s not going to sit at home. He’ll be working once again as a firefighter. He’s always told friends and family how much he missed working as a firefighter.
Lincoln, who lives in Florence, will be a captain for the Liberty Hill Fire Department, a job he began Monday . Liberty Hill has 11 other members in the department.
His schedule has changed significantly. He left a standard 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule and will now work a 24-hour shift followed by 48 hours off.
“When there’s an accident and you help out, it’s an immediate gratification,” Lincoln said. “I am just not ready to leave this profession.”
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