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Battalion Chief Abbott to retire from Muscatine Fire Department

A celebration of his firefighting career and on his retirement will be held from 2-4 p.m. Thursday in the dayroom of the Public Safety Building.
Abbott

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine Fire Department is getting ready to celebrate a career than lasted more than two decades, as one of their leaders prepares to retire.

After almost 22 years of serving the citizens of Muscatine as a member of the Muscatine Fire Department, Battalion Chief Brian Abbott will work his last shift Thursday, May 31, 2018.

Abbott’s first day on the job was Nov. 19, 1996, and it has been a “shade over 21 and a half years” that he has been working for the citizens of Muscatine as a member of the Fire Department.

He was promoted to Lieutenant by then Fire Chief Steve Dalbey and to Captain by Jerry Ewers who succeeded Dalbey as Fire Chief.

He was promoted to Battalion Chief when Assistant Chief Garry Lee retired on May 1, 2013.

Abbott received his Emergency Medical Technology/Technician certification from Southeast Iowa Community College and was working for two months at the Mount Pleasant Hospital when he was hired on by the Muscatine Fire Department.

“I really didn’t think much about applying in Muscatine at the time,” Abbott said, “focusing more around Cedar Rapids. But Muscatine was taking applications, I applied, and was hired. Two months after starting in Mount Pleasant, I was back in Muscatine.”

This is definitely a game for the young, Abbott noted, and he feels fortunate to have lasted as long as he has.

“I will be 62 when I retire,” Abbott said. “I thank the good Lord above for keeping me in the shape that I am so that I can do what we do. When you see some of these young kids and how hard they work, you begin to think you just can’t keep up with them anymore.”

 A celebration of his firefighting career and on his retirement will be held from 2-4 p.m. Thursday in the dayroom of the Public Safety Building.

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