Fire Department honors Battalion Chief for over 36 years of service

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph Fire Department honored one long-serving Battalion Chief through a retirement party.

Battalion Chief Dave Richey has served the department for over 36 years. He joined SJFD after hearing his friends talk about how much they enjoyed working for the department.

"They talked about how good of a job it really was, and I applied and got on, and it's been family since then," he said.

Richey said there are a lot of moments that stand out, and the fire department is a tight-knit group.

"There's a lot of laughing, a lot of crying and a lot of talking to each other. A lot of things we have to see, we have to see good, and we have to see bad," he said. A lot of that changes over a long period, so people change."

During the retirement party, Richey was awarded a piece of an older brass pole that was kept from older SJFD locations. He also received an Axe for his service.

"The brass pole does mean a lot more from redoing some of the old fire stations. We kept the brass pole, so when you retire, they give you a little piece of the brass pole, which to me signifies our fire department," he said. If you talk to any of the retired firefighters thats what they look forward to the most is that little piece of the pole that has a lot of meaning."

Overall, Richey said he'll miss the people most.

"They're my family. Just not seeing them every day, that's what I probably miss the most. All the relationships you build over the years," he said. "A lot of them are here to see me off, and that's what it will be, the people."

Richey said the community is what you make of it.

"Us helping the community, and the community support that we receive from them. Just paying back what they given top us," he said.

Richey said he plans to spend his retirement traveling with his wife and not working.