CCFD responds to dozens of New Year\u2019s fire calls across Corpus Christi<\/a><\/p>\nFire Chief Brandon Wade said the ceremony recognized more than careers \u2014 it honored families who stood behind the department\u2019s leadership through long shifts, emergencies and years of sacrifice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a day of celebration,\u201d Wade said. \u201cThese individuals have really worked and dedicated so much of their lives and so has their family to the fire department and to the city of Corpus Christi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those retiring was Battalion Chief Michael Schmidt, who reflected on the responsibility of leading firefighters through some of the department\u2019s most challenging moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud that everyone went home to their families under my watch,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n
Assistant Fire Chief Billy Belyeu said leaving after two decades of service comes with mixed emotions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet,\u201d Belyeu said. \u201cI got in at 21, so I spent over half of my life here within this organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Belyeu said the bonds built inside the department extend well beyond the firehouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the best organization in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cThe camaraderie with the men and women of the department \u2014 they\u2019re so dedicated, it\u2019s really hard to break those bonds.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the department became an extension of his own family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have met a lot of great people that have become true family members for me,\u201d Belyeu said. \u201cMy kids call them uncles \u2014 that\u2019s how close-knit of an organization this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Erben also reflected on what the department has meant to him and how it has shaped his future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe firefighters here, the officers here, the community \u2014 they\u2019ve given me such a skill set that I will be successful wherever I go,\u201d Erben said.<\/p>\n
While he joked about what he will not miss, Erben said leaving the department itself will be the hardest part.<\/p>\n
\u201cI certainly won\u2019t miss the mosquitoes. I certainly won\u2019t miss the heat,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I wholeheartedly will miss the department.\u201d<\/p>\n
City leaders and colleagues thanked the retiring chiefs for decades of dedication, leadership and service to Corpus Christi \u2014 closing a chapter defined by sacrifice, loyalty and a lifelong commitment to protecting the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An emotional ceremony honors three Corpus Christi fire chiefs retiring after decades of leadership, dedication and lifelong service…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[155,157,156],"class_list":{"0":"post-116553","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-corpus-christi","8":"tag-corpus-christi","9":"tag-corpus-christi-headlines","10":"tag-corpus-christi-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}