SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 20

WHEREAS, Jimmy Dale Chew is retiring as chief of the Stephenville Fire Department on July 30, 2021, drawing to a close an exemplary career that has spanned more than a half century with the department; and

WHEREAS, Hired in 1970 for a three-month, temporary position, Chief Chew went to fight his first fire after just a morning of training; he took to the demanding work immediately and stayed on as a firefighter and emergency medical technician, winning promotion to lieutenant in 1983; he was soon named assistant fire chief, and after serving as interim chief, he was appointed chief in 2005; during his tenure, he has expanded EMS services, added a second fire station, and increased staff to better meet the needs of the community; and

WHEREAS, Chief Chew is a former president of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association; he has been a member of the board since 2012 and is the Texas Municipal League's TFCA representative; in addition, he has served on the State Fire Marshal's Line of Duty Death investigation taskforce; he is active in the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System and as a member of the regional incident management team; the Texas A&M Forest Service has called on his expertise to fight fires across the state, and he helped manage the massive 2011 Possum Kingdom Lake fire; over the years, he has assisted in the investigation of a number of major conflagrations, including the tragic West fertilizer plant explosion; he and four other experts produced a report that brought about vital advancements in preventing and battling hazardous material fires and established best practices for the storage of ammonium nitrate; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, Chief Chew was named Fire Chief of the Year by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association; he also received a gubernatorial appointment as an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy, and the City of Stephenville celebrated December 1, 2020, as Fire Chief Jimmy Chew Day; and

WHEREAS, Through his leadership, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to excellence, Chief Chew has greatly benefited the residents of Stephenville, and his contributions to firefighting have earned him the lasting respect and admiration of colleagues all across Texas; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Jimmy Dale Chew on his retirement as chief of the Stephenville Fire Department and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared for Chief Chew as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.

Springer

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on July 26, 2021.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate