LIVERMORE – Randy Berry resigned Monday as chief of the Livermore Fire Department.
Berry has overseen the department started by his family for 12 years and been a member of it for 30 years, starting at the age of 15.
He has put thousands of hours of service into protecting the people of Livermore and worked to upgrade the department with training for firefighters, new equipment and firetrucks.
“I’ve had enough. I’m tired,” Berry said Tuesday.
Berry cited dissatisfaction with trying to get financial information from a town official that he requested for several years and people not understanding how much time firefighters put in among his reasons for quitting.
“People don’t understand what we do,” Berry said. “The equipment is in good shape. We’ve got a good crew.”
He used to be able to keep his vacation days and personal time separate, he said, but now ends up spending them on fire chief duties and changes to firefighting regulations.
“Personally I need to have a finish point,” Berry said.
One of the good things about being in the Legislature, Berry, a former state representative, said, was after four terms you were done.
Berry has put thousands of miles on his own truck to serve the townspeople, he said.
He did the E911 addressing for the town, set up dry hydrants in water bodies for firefighting purposes and had planned to do an Insurance Service Office review this spring to try to lower property owners’ fire insurance rates.
He has also seen to it that firefighters get a stipend for completing Firefighter 1 training and get paid for mutual aid calls. When he took over as chief, they were not paid, he said. He’s bumped up firefighters pay to $8 an hour, he said.
Last year was the first time Berry received a fire chief stipend of $1,500.
He’s also watched as Livermore firefighters get called for more mutual aid from other departments as their equipment was upgraded and they earned more confidence and respect.
“It was not an easy decision,” Berry said. “I tried to fade out last summer, but I still had stuff to do.”
He still has unfinished business, he said, and he is trying to find a way to see it completed.
Assistant Fire Chief Don Castonguay learned about Berry’s resignation Tuesday morning, Berry said.
It was a surprise to most people but not all, he said.
He plans to spend more time with his family and on his own affairs.
“I’ve got some pipes that have been leaking for a while and a garage door that needs to be repaired,” he said. “It’s time to do something for myself. It’s a big change. I’ve been doing it for a long time. I’ve been replaced before. I didn’t build a department around one person.
“I need a break,” he said.
Berry said he plans to give the new chief, whoever it is, at least 90 days to get set in leadership and then make a decision on whether he will remain a firefighter for the town.
“These guys can handle it, and we’ve got good mutual aid. We do a lot for a small town, and we don’t get credit for it,” he said.
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