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Friday, May 29, 2009 | 
Los Angeles Fire Chief Douglas Barry announced his intent to retire at a Thursday afternoon press conference.
KTTV-TV's John Schwada reports...
Chief Barry issued this statement to LAFD members Thursday morning...
"For the past two-and-a-half years, I have had the honor and privilege of serving you and the people of Los Angeles as Fire Chief. It has been the proudest time of my 34-year career and so it is with a deep sense of gratitude that I announce my intent to retire effective August 30, 2009.
As I reflect back, I am proudest of what we as a Department have accomplished together. We have brought about a unity of purpose and have moved our Department to even higher levels of professionalism both operationally and in our work environment. We have made great strides in strengthening our future leaders by giving them the tools they need to be successful.
I am encouraged by the current spirit of the Department and believe it is on the verge of achieving bigger and better things. It is my strong belief that the progress and improvements we have achieved together will have long lasting positive impacts.
Over the next several months I will continue to focus on the future of the Department and will ensure that there is a seamless transition of leadership. I will give my all, and I ask you to do the same, in making the Department’s next leader equally successful.
In closing, I cannot put into words my appreciation for the support and encouragement I’ve received from all levels of the Department. It has been a humbling, unforgettable experience. I thank all of you, sworn and civilian for making my time as Fire Chief such a rewarding experience. I owe all of you a debt of gratitude."
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
5 comments:
Chief Barry thank you for your many years of service to such a great department. Have a great retirement!.
Chief Barry is simply put, a very nice guy so it will be sad to see him go. Like others I too think it would have been nice to see him stay longer.
Realistically, he has done his time and he deserves to retire to spend valuable time with his family. I recently lost a dear friend, a retired fire captain who put off retirement for 5 years and then died of a sudden heart attack 3 months after retiring. I do believe that Chief Barry is making the right decision for his family and himself. He has worked hard for this retirement. Could he stay on longer and accomplish more? Of course, there is always more to do but there comes a time to move on to a different chapter in life and let someone else deal with all the issues.
I hope he enjoys his retirement and that he will continue to be involved in the community as many retired LAFD people are.
I would love to see John Drake make it to the chief position.He has what it takes to countinue the strength we need in the LAFD DEPT.
@Tim @Jennie,
Chief Barry is a man of immense character who retires with well wishes from both those he served and those in his command. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@Hess,
There are many within the fire service who are up to the challenge of leading our agency.
There are however many traits, aspirations and abilities that define and possibly divide them.
We hope that you and other stakeholders will actively engage Mayor Villaraigosa and his staff to ensure that the person he selects mirrors the values and vision you feel necessary in our next Fire Chief.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Chief Barry, God Bless you in your new role as a retiree. You truly deserve it, now you can enjoy whatever you want even if that is just doing nothing. Its your call so thanks for being a stellar guy with great integrity and great leadership ability and hopefully changing the LAFD. Well done, take care and again God Bless.
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