With every end comes a new beginning.
Bella Vista Fire Department's battalion chief, Bryan Wolfgang, last week started going to work during business hours -- Monday through Friday, no weekends or holidays -- for the first time in 28 years.
Bella Vista Fire Department Deputy Chief Glenn Puryear is retiring this month after 34 years of service.
A drop-in reception for Puryear will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the training room at the Fire Department, 103 Town Center.
Wolfgang has been promoted to deputy chief to fill the position held by Glenn Puryear, who is retiring this month after 34 years.
Wolfgang said they called him "pup"; he was the youngest member of the department when he started as a volunteer in July 1985.
His dad asked the young Wolfgang if he'd ever thought of being a fireman. The thought had never entered his mind, Wolfgang said. But he knew the fire chief at the time well, after going to school with the chief's son.
"(The fire chief) said, 'You want a job?' I said sure. He said, 'Well, then you're hired,'" Wolfgang said.
He gained a full-time position in March 1986. At that time, Bella Vista had about 6,000 residents.
In 1992, Wolfgang completed paramedic school at Missouri Southern State College in Joplin and then was promoted to lieutenant in 1994.
Two years later he made captain, which at the time had the same rank as today's battalion chief.
Wolfgang became battalion chief over A shift, and has been overseeing that shift ever since.
The camaraderie with the guys is his favorite part of the job.
"Most people say (the best part of the job is) saving lives and helping people. I enjoy that, I do, but it's the camaraderie. We are a big family here," he said.
The promotion will mean changes for him. He isn't accustomed to doing as much administrative paperwork, he said.
"I worked shift work for 28 years. You don't just turn that off," he said.
This change brings on the next chapter in his life, he said.
When he made officer all those years ago, he set a goal to achieve rank of deputy chief before his retirement. It feels good to accomplish goals set for yourself, he said.
Wolfgang, at 49, said he's "still young enough," and retirement isn't in his future just yet.
"I still enjoy coming here every day. There's never been a day when I've dreaded coming to work. When it gets to that point, then it will be time," he said.
Whether that day will come remains questionable.
Fire Chief Steve Sims said Wolfgang has been readying himself for a promotion for the last several years.
"His knowledge, time and experience here is what made him the best candidate for this position," Sims said. "He's one of the ones that sticks out, that works hard and makes things move."
General News on 04/23/2014