DAUGHTER OF BRENHAM FIRE CHIEF ADDRESSES HIS FORCED EARLY RETIREMENT

  

The daughter of Brenham Fire Chief Ricky Boeker has spoken out about her father's apparent forced retirement.

After City Manager James Fisher confirmed the city is discussing early retirement options with Boeker that include eligibility for the city's health insurance and separation pay, Amanda Landry released a statement to KWHI detailing the lead-up to the decision and expressing her disappointment.

In her statement, Landry says the city's choice to move on from Boeker came shortly after Winter Storm Uri, stating Fisher met with Boeker to tell him "his time was up, and he needed to retire early."  She says Fisher did not give a specific reason for the decision, other than wanting to "go into a different direction" with leadership.  She called what was done "cowardly," adding that Fisher called Boeker during the storm to help his family after their home suffered a busted pipe.

Landry says retirement should be a decision made by the retiree, and believes Boeker did not get the "fairy tale ending" that he deserves after spending over 30 years with the fire department, many of which as a volunteer.  She says Boeker's retirement is a milestone that should have been celebrated, but has now become "the complete opposite."  She believes Fisher "has broken the spirit that has always fought hard for every born and raised citizen of Brenham and Washington County," but says the public will celebrate Boeker's accomplishments and "stand behind the very man that has touched so many lives in this community."

When speaking with KWHI Wednesday, Fisher did not say whether an official decision had been reached on Boeker's retirement, only saying the city is "in discussions."

Landry's full statement can be read below.

Ricky Boeker’s Story will not end here….

Retirement should always be a milestone for a person that puts in their entire adult life working. It is something that should be a joyous occasion, a milestone, to reflect on all the accomplishments and triumphs obtained during their career. It should also always be a decision made by the future retiree. It is the year that you look forward too, put money aside and plan for and often dream of. The days that you can play a bit more with your grandkids, travel with your spouse, sleep late and start that hobby you always wanted to do but never had the time or pick a hobby back up that you never had time for due to the demands of your schedule. Retirement should never be someone else’s decision when you spend countless years, hours, minutes, and seconds giving your employer 110%. It should never be someone else’s decision when you always do the right thing, try to improve on things you might not be so good at, and always treating your employer with the utmost respect even if sometimes they do not deserve it. That is what a good employee does, right? Well in the case of my father’s story he did not get that fairy tale ending so many people with half his work ethic receive. As his daughter I cannot stomach that this is how his story might end. I was raised by this hardworking man. I know first-hand what he has done, sacrificed, and most likely will continue to do even after this is all said and done to the very group of people that is taking this right of passage, this milestone, away from him. I am pretty sure there is not a person in this community that has met him or asked for help that he did not drop what he was doing to give a hand. His commitment to his community often took priority over myself and as I child I was often sad of the things that he missed, but as I grew into adult hood, I have always been so proud of him. It made me strive as hard as I could to make him proud of me with the accomplishments I would make as I started my career.

So now we move on to what Brenham and Washington County means to this man. He loves this community that surrounded his family with love when he lost his father at the age of 12, helping his mother as a widow with three young boys to raise. He was now the man of the house and has technically been working since then. He did not have the perks of being sent away to a fancy college, but he put in hard work and treated everyone he met with respect. He often worked numerous jobs 7 days a week, always frugal with his money to save to have something for his future bride and family. He met my mom, which in tow came with two young children and boy did we not make it easy for him. He loved us as his own, never having his very own biological children but never in one minute made us feel like he was not there since the day we came home from the hospital. Some might call him a Saint, we often do pick on him about it, but in all honesty, he was my hero then as he still is today. I was there to see him take different career paths, always to improve himself and better off our family. He worked hard to give us everything he could, using extra money to give us things instead of buying things for himself. We never had a worry; we knew he was always there to take care of us. In return what this great community did for him he always wanted to give back which takes us to him joining the Brenham Fire Department.

The fire department gave him the ability to help his community in need and thank the fine citizens for everything they had given him. I knew as a child exactly when 600pm was, the scanner would tone out a test every day. I remember being scared when he left for major events that changed the county, including the salt mine explosion. I also remembered all the meals that were ate cold because a tone would go out, the softball games and choir concerts that were missed because he made sure to be a helping hand for someone in need. I also witnessed the nights he came in with his head hung down as he witnessed a death in an automobile accident seeing things that the strongest of people would never have to witness because of him and his brothers in the fire department. I gained Uncles, that watched over me, sometimes got me out of hot water but I always knew that I could call on if I ever needed anything if my dad was not around. I grew up surrounded by the men and women of the Brenham Fire Department and still consider many of them family because when it is all said and done, they are there for you when you need them never a question asked. As my dad then moved up the ranks within the department to being elected to their Fire Chief, we were so proud of him. He did so much outside of his regular job to help continue the wonderful legacy of this department. The department with so much historical meaning to the City of Brenham and the people that it serves. Then the day came that Brenham was ready to hire their very fist paid Fire Chief and he was so honored when the job was offered to him. He gave up a very successful Insurance Agency that he owned to do what he always wanted to do and what gave him meaning, serve the people of Brenham and Washington County.

I could go on and on with everything that he has accomplished, the boards he sat on, other organizations outside of the Fire Department that he participated in, but honestly this list is long. I am sure there are numerous stories that could be told of what Ricky has done for them and the impact he has made to their organization. He has always been dependable, forgiving, and put in the sweat and tears to make something work and make it work successfully. When he became the first paid fire chief he was up for the challenge and worked many hours to build up a fire department that the City of Brenham would be proud of. As I do not live in Brenham anymore, I do however live not too far away and have the pleasure of often working with other fire departments outside the Brenham area. When I mention that I am from a fire department family and they learn who my dad is, I am then told of what a great and respected man he is and the pleasure they have had meeting him, attending a class with him, and even guidance from. It makes me so proud to hear these stories and see the respect others in his profession see in him and not just us his family. I have also crossed paths with individuals that he helped, sometimes simply holding their hand during a life altering crisis. When you must go through something that changes the course of your life, you always remember the men and women that were there to help you.

This now leads me to what has transpired the last couple of weeks. I was floored and heartbroken to hear what was done to the very person that would die for the very selfish person/people putting this early retirement ultimatum in action. You see, my dad would never do anything to harm his crew and was always looking for ways to make things work even with the resources that were given from the city being very minimal. With the great help of the Volunteer section of the Brenham Fire Department, the countless fundraisers helped save the taxpayers of Brenham Texas more money than you could ever imagine, and that list would be way too long as well. These volunteers along with the help of the paid fire fighters would work on fundraisers on their own time to help defray cost of new equipment, training, and tools that are required to keep them safe as well as the safety of the people in the community. Then I received the call of what happened that Monday morning I was angry, I saw red and was ready to take on anyone that just crushed the spirit of the most honest hardworking man I have ever known. I could not understand how it could even be possible after I saw what he did during the ice storm that shut the city down for a week. The very City Manager that does not think he can be an effective Fire Chief is the very man that he called when he was out of town during this historical event to assist his wife and HIS home due to a busted pipe. My dad got on the road immediately without hesitation to assist his family. A week later then very same City Manager sat him down tell him, his time was up, and he needed to retire early. Not truly giving a valid reason why other than he wanted the leadership to go into a different direction. I am not going to play politics here, but what was done was cowardly and not something I remember Brenham being about. It saddens me to see this course of action play out in other areas as I have discovered and I hate that a town that has so much meaning to all of us, even those of us that our careers took us a different direction, not having that same Brenham home feel when we return.

I am mad and I hate that this is what has become of his retirement, the milestone that he should be celebrating, but now has become the complete opposite. I am mad that he is ready to step away because the man that the city council and mayor decided to renew his contract and even give a raise has broken the spirit that has always fought hard for every born and raised citizen of Brenham and Washington County. Well, we will celebrate his accomplishments and stand behind the very man that has touched so many lives in this community. We will remember this story going forward as we select new or keep current elected officials for this community. I will make sure that my dad’s story does not end this way. I thank you, Dad. For everything you have taught me, the unconditional love, and the spirit to love your community and always have something to stand for. Thank you so much and please know that you have an army and a handful of people will not end this great legacy that you gave your time and love too. Your story will end with pride and determination to make sure the community you love is taken care of, even in your absence. You will always be our Chief.