Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, June 1, 2010,
Item 4
4. Approve proclamation recognizing fire chief don smith for his outstanding 45 year career in fire service
>> we have chief smith. And several of the -- of the esd 4 people.
>> we don't tell him everything.
>> why don't you each introduce yourselves, chief smith.
>> chief smith really needs no introduction, but what the heck let's try it.
>> i will start at that end, i think everybody knows danny hobby bee, our new fire chief, soliz, effective today. Don is impersonating a fire chief because his retirement actually took place yesterday, so he is not officially a fire chief entitled to wear his uniform. Uniform. Is this a criminal law.
>> lots of sheriffs around, i would be nervous if i were don. I'm kevin mcdonald. President of the esd board. 16 years ago we had the wisdom to hire don smith as our fire chief. We wanted to as a board we found a fire department that was in less than optimum condition, i will put it that way, i'm being polite. We decided that we wanted to raise it is level of professionalism, we wanted to get somebody who had experience, we wanted somebody who had all of the expertise in every aspect of the fire service, we wanted somebody who could provide the leadership that it was going to take to bring a fire department out of chaos and disorder. And bring it into the 20th century before the 21st century landed on us and we also wanted a fire chief that we would have complete confidence in to turn over all of the operations of the department. As a board we were not just making policy, which is what we were supposed to do, but we were also handling operations. You as policy makers appreciate being able to turn over operations to people that are thoroughly competent and able and willing and eager to do the job that you set the policy for them to do. Don was all of those things. And as i've said before, there was a lady on our board, a rather young lady, who looked at don and kind of cussed and said he even looks like a fire chief. And she's right. I think he does. Look at him. What we didn't know at the time was we just wanted to -- there's an old saying, i have said it to karen huber, that if -- that a rising tide lifts all boats. Our intent was to lift all the boats in our fire department. What we didn't realize at the time is that don quickly became the go-to guy in travis county for all aspects of -- of stuff that fire chiefs do. I can't tell you how many times in a conversation or a meeting in his office, a meeting of our board, that a phone call would come and interrupt and it would be a fire chief and some other department asking don, what do i do, what do i do? Don calmly with his usual very calming demeanor would -- would instruct them and advise them on possibilities. Things they might do. And don became, i think, the -- the rising tide for all of travis county. If you look back on all of the advances and steps forward that we have made in the fire service in travis county or the -- over the last 16 years, his fingerprints are all over them. He was either the instigator or chief player, all of the other organizations, all kind of works on cad systems, dispatch, radio communications, you name it. And don's finger prints all over it. That's a good thing. And that achievement it's really the legacy that don leaves behind for us today. Besides all of the leadership and experience, his expertise, looking like a fire chief, all of the rest of it. I think the two things that have impressed me most over the years about dorn the two things that are -- about don are the two things that are most important, that's integrity and a good heart. Don has always had a good will, always been willing to share his good will, that good feeling about the fire service with everybody, it's been contagious, he has a charisma, is able to communicate that to other people. His integrity is unquestioned. It has been a privilege for our board to have a fire chief like don smith.
>> thank you, kevin.
>> it's with great pride and i must admit a little selfish sadness that -- in losing, letting you go to retirement that i read this proclamation and commissioner davis and i are proud to bring this before the court as i'm sure the rest of the court is fraud to support it reads whereas fire chief don smith retired on may 31st, 2010 after closing a 45 year career in the fire service and whereas chief smith began serving in the fire profession with the austin fire department on september 10th, 1965, and whereas chief smith completed his service with the austin fire department and retired in october, 1994 and whereas chief smith began another fire service career with travis county emergency services district, esd 4 in april of 1994, and became the organization's first professional career fire chief and whereas chief smith served as the fire technology course coordinator for austin community college, from 1993 through 1994, before being hired away to lead travis county esd 4 fire department and whereas chief smith hosted the first ever county-wide esd meeting in travis county to promise gate the development -- promulgate the development of a cooperative culture between the emergency districts and whereas chief smith is a co-founding member of the texas state association of fire and emergency districts safety, which formed in january, 2001 and served as one of the board of directors, and whereas chief smith is the founder of the travis county esd 4 volunteer fire cadet academy. Where its first cadet classes began in 1999 and recently completed its 10th cadet class in april of this year. And whereas chief smith has been very instrumental in providing outreach and training to our youth, especially men and women from east austin, and whereas chief smith successfully implemented the high angle rescue training program for the austin fire department which consequently lead him to teaching these techniques to personnel at the texas parks and wildlife department and the state of texas department of public safety. And, whereas, chief smith designed and implemented the original swift water rescue training program for the austin fire department. Which was presented to the houston fire department and the national association of service and rescue. The texas state firemen's conference and at the texas a&m annual fire training school and whereas chief smith designated -- designed and implemented the monster in smoke fire prevention program in the austin fire department, which served to teach preschool children and later became known as the darth vader program, now therefore be it resolved that we the members of the travis county commissioners court do hereby proclaim june 1st, 2010, as chief don smith day in travis county, texas and encourage all travis county citizens to join us in recognizing and saluting chief don smith for his 45 years of service and for his inspirational leadership and outstanding service. Move approval.
>> second.
>> any other comments?
>> i just have a short comment which don is not going to believe it's going to be short. But it will. Don, when i was about 10 years of age, my father had a father-son talk with me. He sat me down, he said, son, if you ever want to be of worth, you need to hang around people who are worthy. For the past 20 years i have been hanging around down smith. He's a true professional, a true gentleman, a true friend. You are going to be missed tremendously, but he and i will not be separating for we get to do other things now together as we always have. He has helped my career and helped this community and served the residents of travis county in a noble, honorable way, you will be missed.
>> chief smith? Or chief soliz was about to give comments.
>> just i feel very fortunate that chief smith has allowed me to continue in his footsteps. I have been doing that for 30 years now. He's a mentor. I don't know -- he is in an elite crowd of one with me basically. But so i'm very fortunate that he has the trust in me to continue to lead this department.
>> i'm not sure that i have words to describe how i feel. The success that i may have had really aligns with the people that i work with. Thank you.
>> [ applause ]
>> chief smith.
>> chief smith he is never at a loss for words, i have never seen him sweat. He came to my office my very first week in office and helped me understand the -- sometimes byzantine world of the emergency services districts. And he can stay out in the hallway, he has done his duty. He has put in the hours. He has spent so much time with us. And -- i'm -- it's just so profound to see -- to see him passing the torch.
>> it's been a lot that chief smith has done for travis county.
>> he can hear us out in the hall, too, i know.
>> i know he can probably hear my voice through those walls. But -- when i first came on and in november of 1998, of course there was a lot of things that i didn't know as far as emergency services and when they offered, fortunately we had chief smith to come on and i recall very clearly in my mind the first time that we started looking at the fire academy, the cadets and how we would try to bring those particular young men and women on board who wanted to seek a future in fire service. Of course this particular endeavor is still going on. Which is tremendous, tremendous for all of travis county. Secondly, i remember a very compassionate person who really cared about -- about the job they did and the outcome of the job. I recall very clearly i recall the relationship, my uncle who -- who -- captain willie ray davis, one of the first black men hired over -- they was hired in the same day to the austin fire department. ,, captain davis along with nathaniel kendricks, along with roy green, in that order, were the first three and of course during that time there was a lot of trials and tribulations because this was in the early '50s. When segregation was just as rampant
>> [indiscernible] some aspects now. Those were hurdles that they had to overcome. I recall mentioning by uncle to chief smith about those kind of things. As of always, he's always been a man of character, well put person, expressed himself very well, and he's going to be sorely missed. I know that i'm going to mischief smith. There's a lot of things that we have done together here for the travis county residents. Miss chief smith. Those young people that are out there now, you will actually be the legacy that fire academy, you will the legacy of a lot of things that they have done out of esd 4 and of course under the direction of chief -- chief smith. I have known him -- there's a lot of things that you have laid out there for all of the citizens of travis county, judge. Thank you.
>> [ applause ] i'm going to miss you, buddy, okay? I'm going to miss you. Okay?
>>
>> [inaudible - no mic]
>> that's right.
>> the chief has done a great job for us, we certainly appreciate it.
>> sure do.
>> let's vote on it. To make sure that it's legal, all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
>> does that include a four day weekend for memorial day?
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 2:35 PM
